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Data from U.S. Census Bureau · 2026 · Methodology
CitySpend

Fall River, MA vs Lowell, MA

Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)

Summary

Lowell spends 14.9% more per capita than Fall River ($7,206/person difference). Lowell, MA has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 50/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
Fall River, MA
Pop. 93,638
D
41/100
Budget Balance17
Debt Burden32
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
City B
Lowell, MA
Pop. 114,737
C
50/100
Budget Balance3
Debt Burden94
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Fall River
Lowell
Total Spending
$3.9B
$5.6B
Spending / Capita
$41,251
$48,457
Total Revenue
$3.3B
$3.1B
Revenue / Capita
$35,606
$27,222
Total Debt
$54.8M
$53.9M
Debt / Capita
$585
$470
Population
93,638
114,737
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Fall River$265
Lowell$194
Highways & Roads
Fall River$0
Lowell$182
Parks & Recreation
Fall River$211
Lowell$292
Education
Fall River$28,175
Lowell$31,397
Health
Fall River$178
Lowell$139

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

Fall RiverLowell
Sales Tax
$165
$639
Income Tax
$0
$274
Intergovernmental
$5,430
$4,160
Charges & Fees
$1,459
$1,061
Other
$4,494
$2,654

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

Fall RiverLowell
Fire Protection
$265
$194
Highways & Roads
$0
$182
Education
$28,175
$31,397
Public Welfare
$581
$349
Health
$178
$139
Hospitals
$602
$425
Parks & Recreation
$211
$292
Housing
$2,452
$2,733
Sewerage
$127
$126
Utilities
$1,773
$1,234
Other
$6,887
$11,388
D
Fall River, MA
Fiscal Health Score: 41/100
Below average fiscal health
C
Lowell, MA
Fiscal Health Score: 50/100
Average fiscal health

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