Fort Lauderdale, FL vs Tallahassee, FL
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Fort Lauderdale, FL spends 24% more per resident than Tallahassee, FL: $37,099 against $29,857. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Tallahassee, FL holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 63/100 (grade C) against 55/100 (grade C) for Fort Lauderdale, FL — a 8-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
On debt, Tallahassee, FL carries the lighter load at $543 per resident versus $1,183 for Fort Lauderdale, FL. 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 Tallahassee, FL at $6,805.
They also fund themselves differently: charges and fees is the largest single revenue source in Fort Lauderdale, FL at 18% of total revenue, whereas Tallahassee, FL relies most on intergovernmental transfers at 19%.
Summary
Fort Lauderdale spends 24.3% more per capita than Tallahassee ($7,242/person difference). Tallahassee, FL has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 63/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $0 | $150 |
| Sales Tax | $1,496 | $408 |
| Income Tax | $1,238 | $1,631 |
| Intergovernmental | $1,700 | $9,184 |
| Charges & Fees | $9,057 | $2,128 |
| Other | $1,118 | $6,392 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $7,663 | $6,805 |
| Public Welfare | $619 | $3,693 |
| Hospitals | $518 | $197 |
| Parks & Recreation | $2,357 | $1,261 |
| Housing | $7,339 | $3,892 |
| Sewerage | $1,517 | $223 |
| Utilities | $7,411 | $3,311 |
| Interest on Debt | $77 | $1,460 |
| Other | $9,599 | $9,016 |
Compare More Cities
Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.