Fort Lauderdale, FL vs Tampa, FL
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Fort Lauderdale, FL spends 21% more per resident than Tampa, FL: $37,099 against $30,690. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Fort Lauderdale, FL holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 55/100 (grade C) against 33/100 (grade F) for Tampa, FL — a 22-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
On debt, Fort Lauderdale, FL carries the lighter load at $1,183 per resident versus $2,378 for Tampa, 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 Tampa, FL at $7,576.
They also fund themselves differently: charges and fees is the largest single revenue source in Fort Lauderdale, FL at 18% of total revenue, whereas Tampa, FL relies most on intergovernmental transfers at 55%.
Summary
Fort Lauderdale spends 20.9% more per capita than Tampa ($6,409/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)
| Sales Tax | $1,496 | $1,180 |
| Income Tax | $1,238 | $2,437 |
| Intergovernmental | $1,700 | $13,224 |
| Charges & Fees | $9,057 | $3,962 |
| Other | $1,118 | $4,657 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $7,663 | $7,576 |
| Highways & Roads | $0 | $418 |
| Public Welfare | $619 | $1,507 |
| Hospitals | $518 | $703 |
| Parks & Recreation | $2,357 | $1,723 |
| Housing | $7,339 | $4,778 |
| Sewerage | $1,517 | $311 |
| Utilities | $7,411 | $4,695 |
| Interest on Debt | $77 | $89 |
| Other | $9,599 | $8,890 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.