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

Fall River, MA vs New Bedford, MA

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

Summary

New Bedford spends 16.2% more per capita than Fall River ($7,964/person difference). New Bedford, MA has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (D, 49/100).

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
New Bedford, MA
Pop. 100,620
D
49/100
Budget Balance5
Debt Burden89
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Fall River
New Bedford
Total Spending
$3.9B
$5.0B
Spending / Capita
$41,251
$49,215
Total Revenue
$3.3B
$2.4B
Revenue / Capita
$35,606
$23,972
Total Debt
$54.8M
$50.9M
Debt / Capita
$585
$506
Population
93,638
100,620
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Fall River$265
New Bedford$252
Highways & Roads
Fall River$0
New Bedford$886
Parks & Recreation
Fall River$211
New Bedford$315
Education
Fall River$28,175
New Bedford$31,923
Health
Fall River$178
New Bedford$255

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

Fall RiverNew Bedford
Sales Tax
$165
$123
Income Tax
$0
$5
Intergovernmental
$5,430
$7,480
Charges & Fees
$1,459
$1,982
Other
$4,494
$4,106

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

Fall RiverNew Bedford
Fire Protection
$265
$252
Highways & Roads
$0
$886
Education
$28,175
$31,923
Public Welfare
$581
$708
Health
$178
$255
Hospitals
$602
$610
Parks & Recreation
$211
$315
Housing
$2,452
$2,315
Sewerage
$127
$99
Utilities
$1,773
$887
Other
$6,887
$10,966
D
Fall River, MA
Fiscal Health Score: 41/100
Below average fiscal health
D
New Bedford, MA
Fiscal Health Score: 49/100
Below average fiscal health

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