Fort Lauderdale, FL vs Miami, FL
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Fort Lauderdale, FL spends 32% more per resident than Miami, FL: $37,099 against $28,195. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Fort Lauderdale, FL edges Miami, FL on the Fiscal Health Score by 2 points — 55/100 (grade C) to 53/100 (grade C). At a margin this narrow the grade is close enough that the factor-level detail matters more than the composite.
Miami, FL reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Fort Lauderdale, FL carries $1,183 per resident. Both cities pour the most per-resident dollars into the same function: fire protection leads in Fort Lauderdale, FL at $7,663 per resident and in Miami, FL at $7,399.
They also fund themselves differently: charges and fees is the largest single revenue source in Fort Lauderdale, FL at 18% of total revenue, whereas Miami, FL relies most on intergovernmental transfers at 100%.
Summary
Fort Lauderdale spends 31.6% more per capita than Miami ($8,904/person difference). Fort Lauderdale, FL has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 55/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $0 | $0 |
| Sales Tax | $1,496 | $1,647 |
| Income Tax | $1,238 | $0 |
| Intergovernmental | $1,700 | $15,037 |
| Charges & Fees | $9,057 | $0 |
| Other | $1,118 | $1,399 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $7,663 | $7,399 |
| Public Welfare | $619 | $109 |
| Hospitals | $518 | $1,499 |
| Parks & Recreation | $2,357 | $1,783 |
| Housing | $7,339 | $6,840 |
| Sewerage | $1,517 | $699 |
| Utilities | $7,411 | $1,295 |
| Interest on Debt | $77 | $0 |
| Other | $9,599 | $8,572 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.