Brockton, MA vs Lowell, MA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Brockton, MA spends 20% more per resident than Lowell, MA: $58,373 against $48,457. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Lowell, MA edges Brockton, MA on the Fiscal Health Score by 1 points — 50/100 (grade C) to 49/100 (grade D). At a margin this narrow the grade is close enough that the factor-level detail matters more than the composite.
On debt, Lowell, MA carries the lighter load at $470 per resident versus $491 for Brockton, MA. Both cities pour the most per-resident dollars into the same function: education leads in Brockton, MA at $38,500 per resident and in Lowell, MA at $31,397.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 22% of total revenue in Brockton, MA and 15% in Lowell, MA.
Summary
Brockton spends 20.5% more per capita than Lowell ($9,915/person difference). Lowell, MA has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 50/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Sales Tax | $164 | $639 |
| Income Tax | $766 | $274 |
| Intergovernmental | $9,401 | $4,160 |
| Charges & Fees | $2,028 | $1,061 |
| Other | $2,515 | $2,654 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $746 | $194 |
| Highways & Roads | $271 | $182 |
| Education | $38,500 | $31,397 |
| Public Welfare | $581 | $349 |
| Health | $279 | $139 |
| Hospitals | $191 | $425 |
| Parks & Recreation | $222 | $292 |
| Housing | $2,794 | $2,733 |
| Sewerage | $135 | $126 |
| Utilities | $2,408 | $1,234 |
| Other | $12,245 | $11,388 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.