Lowell, MA vs New Bedford, MA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Summary
New Bedford spends 1.5% more per capita than Lowell ($758/person difference). Lowell, MA has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 50/100).
Fiscal Health Score
C
50/100
Budget Balance3
Debt Burden94
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
D
49/100
Budget Balance5
Debt Burden89
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
Key Metrics
Metric
Lowell
New Bedford
Total Spending
$5.6B
$5.0B
Spending / Capita
$48,457
$49,215
Total Revenue
$3.1B
$2.4B
Revenue / Capita
$27,222
$23,972
Total Debt
$53.9M
$50.9M
Debt / Capita
$470
$506
Population
114,737
100,620
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0
Per Capita Spending by Department
Fire Protection
Lowell$194
New Bedford$252
Highways & Roads
Lowell$182
New Bedford$886
Parks & Recreation
Lowell$292
New Bedford$315
Education
Lowell$31,397
New Bedford$31,923
Health
Lowell$139
New Bedford$255
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
LowellNew Bedford
| Sales Tax | $639 | $123 |
| Income Tax | $274 | $5 |
| Intergovernmental | $4,160 | $7,480 |
| Charges & Fees | $1,061 | $1,982 |
| Other | $2,654 | $4,106 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
LowellNew Bedford
| Fire Protection | $194 | $252 |
| Highways & Roads | $182 | $886 |
| Education | $31,397 | $31,923 |
| Public Welfare | $349 | $708 |
| Health | $139 | $255 |
| Hospitals | $425 | $610 |
| Parks & Recreation | $292 | $315 |
| Housing | $2,733 | $2,315 |
| Sewerage | $126 | $99 |
| Utilities | $1,234 | $887 |
| Other | $11,388 | $10,966 |
C
Lowell, MA
Fiscal Health Score: 50/100
Average fiscal health
D
New Bedford, MA
Fiscal Health Score: 49/100
Below average fiscal health