Brockton, MA vs New Bedford, MA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Brockton, MA spends 19% more per resident than New Bedford, MA: $58,373 against $49,215. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
On the CitySpend Fiscal Health Score the two are level: Brockton, MA and New Bedford, MA both land at 49/100 (grade D and D respectively), so the deciding factors sit in the underlying six-factor breakdown rather than the rolled-up grade.
On debt, Brockton, MA carries the lighter load at $491 per resident versus $506 for New Bedford, 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 New Bedford, MA at $31,923.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 22% of total revenue in Brockton, MA and 31% in New Bedford, MA.
Summary
Brockton spends 18.6% more per capita than New Bedford ($9,157/person difference). Both cities share the same Fiscal Health Score.
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Sales Tax | $164 | $123 |
| Income Tax | $766 | $5 |
| Intergovernmental | $9,401 | $7,480 |
| Charges & Fees | $2,028 | $1,982 |
| Other | $2,515 | $4,106 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $746 | $252 |
| Highways & Roads | $271 | $886 |
| Education | $38,500 | $31,923 |
| Public Welfare | $581 | $708 |
| Health | $279 | $255 |
| Hospitals | $191 | $610 |
| Parks & Recreation | $222 | $315 |
| Housing | $2,794 | $2,315 |
| Sewerage | $135 | $99 |
| Utilities | $2,408 | $887 |
| Other | $12,245 | $10,966 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.