Lowell, MA vs Worcester, MA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Summary
Lowell spends 15.2% more per capita than Worcester ($6,408/person difference). Worcester, MA has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 58/100).
Fiscal Health Score
C
50/100
Budget Balance3
Debt Burden94
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
C
58/100
Budget Balance36
Debt Burden95
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
Key Metrics
Metric
Lowell
Worcester
Total Spending
$5.6B
$8.6B
Spending / Capita
$48,457
$42,049
Total Revenue
$3.1B
$9.2B
Revenue / Capita
$27,222
$45,275
Total Debt
$53.9M
$93.0M
Debt / Capita
$470
$456
Population
114,737
204,191
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0
Per Capita Spending by Department
Fire Protection
Lowell$194
Worcester$186
Highways & Roads
Lowell$182
Worcester$163
Parks & Recreation
Lowell$292
Worcester$461
Education
Lowell$31,397
Worcester$28,887
Health
Lowell$139
Worcester$349
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
LowellWorcester
| Sales Tax | $639 | $457 |
| Income Tax | $274 | $231 |
| Intergovernmental | $4,160 | $4,140 |
| Charges & Fees | $1,061 | $1,465 |
| Other | $2,654 | $3,233 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
LowellWorcester
| Fire Protection | $194 | $186 |
| Highways & Roads | $182 | $163 |
| Education | $31,397 | $28,887 |
| Public Welfare | $349 | $889 |
| Health | $139 | $349 |
| Hospitals | $425 | $534 |
| Parks & Recreation | $292 | $461 |
| Housing | $2,733 | $2,901 |
| Sewerage | $126 | $209 |
| Utilities | $1,234 | $1,046 |
| Other | $11,388 | $6,424 |
C
Lowell, MA
Fiscal Health Score: 50/100
Average fiscal health
C
Worcester, MA
Fiscal Health Score: 58/100
Average fiscal health