Jacksonville, FL vs St. Petersburg, FL
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Jacksonville, FL spends 44% more per resident than St. Petersburg, FL: $31,456 against $21,836. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
St. Petersburg, FL holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 77/100 (grade B) against 53/100 (grade C) for Jacksonville, FL — a 24-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
St. Petersburg, FL reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Jacksonville, FL carries $2,821 per resident. Both cities pour the most per-resident dollars into the same function: fire protection leads in Jacksonville, FL at $9,436 per resident and in St. Petersburg, FL at $3,795.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 14% of total revenue in Jacksonville, FL and 100% in St. Petersburg, FL.
Summary
Jacksonville spends 44.1% more per capita than St. Petersburg ($9,621/person difference). St. Petersburg, FL has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 77/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $10 | $0 |
| Sales Tax | $233 | $1,480 |
| Income Tax | $762 | $2,094 |
| Intergovernmental | $7,348 | $34,179 |
| Charges & Fees | $2,119 | $2,683 |
| Other | $4,705 | $5,544 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $18 | $0 |
| Fire Protection | $9,436 | $3,795 |
| Public Welfare | $486 | $669 |
| Health | $332 | $308 |
| Hospitals | $557 | $546 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,329 | $3,226 |
| Housing | $5,572 | $4,761 |
| Sewerage | $176 | $131 |
| Utilities | $1,835 | $3,465 |
| Interest on Debt | $1,942 | $0 |
| Other | $9,771 | $4,935 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.