Fall River, MA vs Lowell, MA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Lowell, MA spends 17% more per resident than Fall River, MA: $48,457 against $41,251. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Lowell, MA holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 50/100 (grade C) against 41/100 (grade D) for Fall River, MA — a 9-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
On debt, Lowell, MA carries the lighter load at $470 per resident versus $585 for Fall River, MA. Both cities pour the most per-resident dollars into the same function: education leads in Fall River, MA at $28,175 per resident and in Lowell, MA at $31,397.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 15% of total revenue in Fall River, MA and 15% in Lowell, MA.
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
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| 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)
| 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 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.