Frederick, MD vs Rockville, MD
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Frederick, MD outspends Rockville, MD by a wide margin per resident — $160,619 versus $16,912, a 850% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
Rockville, MD holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 82/100 (grade A) against 63/100 (grade C) for Frederick, MD — a 19-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
Neither city reports outstanding debt per resident in its current Census filing, which removes debt service as a point of difference between them. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Frederick, MD leads with education at $97,323 per resident, while Rockville, MD leads with parks and recreation at $3,552.
They also fund themselves differently: intergovernmental transfers is the largest single revenue source in Frederick, MD at 17% of total revenue, whereas Rockville, MD relies most on other revenue at 18%.
Summary
Frederick spends 849.7% more per capita than Rockville ($143,706/person difference). Rockville, MD has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 82/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Sales Tax | $304 | $1,042 |
| Income Tax | $3,688 | $1,014 |
| Intergovernmental | $16,425 | $1,831 |
| Charges & Fees | $3,352 | $1,776 |
| Other | $10,900 | $3,295 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $2,597 | $0 |
| Fire Protection | $3,051 | $1,156 |
| Highways & Roads | $1,430 | $570 |
| Education | $97,323 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $2,207 | $2,033 |
| Hospitals | $2,058 | $238 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,503 | $3,552 |
| Housing | $5,157 | $1,891 |
| Sewerage | $249 | $672 |
| Utilities | $6,503 | $2,475 |
| Interest on Debt | $1,189 | $0 |
| General Admin | $484 | $0 |
| Other | $36,868 | $4,326 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.