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Data from U.S. Census Bureau · 2026 · Methodology
CitySpend

Miami, FL vs Fort Worth, TX

Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)

Reviewed by CitySpend Editorial Team · Updated

Miami, FL outspends Fort Worth, TX by a wide margin per resident — $28,195 versus $15,939, a 77% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.

Fort Worth, TX holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 63/100 (grade C) against 53/100 (grade C) for Miami, FL — a 10-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.

Miami, FL reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Fort Worth, TX carries $1,921 per resident. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Miami, FL leads with fire protection at $7,399 per resident, while Fort Worth, TX leads with parks and recreation at $708.

On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 100% of total revenue in Miami, FL and 15% in Fort Worth, TX.

Summary

Miami spends 76.9% more per capita than Fort Worth ($12,256/person difference). Fort Worth, TX has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 63/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
Miami, FL
Pop. 443,665
C
53/100
Budget Balance22
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency51
Revenue Diversity0
Trend Direction50
City B
Fort Worth, TX
Pop. 924,663
C
63/100
Budget Balance73
Debt Burden0
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Miami
Fort Worth
Total Spending
$12.5B
$14.7B
Spending / Capita
$28,195
$15,939
Total Revenue
$6.7B
$24.7B
Revenue / Capita
$15,037
$26,694
Total Debt
$0
$1.8B
Debt / Capita
$0
$1,921
Population
443,665
924,663
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Miami$7,399
Fort Worth$156
Highways & Roads
Miami$0
Fort Worth$317
Parks & Recreation
Miami$1,783
Fort Worth$708
Health
Miami$0
Fort Worth$235

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

MiamiFort Worth
Property Tax
$0
$0
Sales Tax
$1,647
$198
Income Tax
$0
$851
Intergovernmental
$15,037
$4,002
Charges & Fees
$0
$3,594
Other
$1,399
$3,439

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

MiamiFort Worth
Fire Protection
$7,399
$156
Highways & Roads
$0
$317
Public Welfare
$109
$869
Health
$0
$235
Hospitals
$1,499
$1,680
Parks & Recreation
$1,783
$708
Housing
$6,840
$4,217
Sewerage
$699
$267
Utilities
$1,295
$2,674
Other
$8,572
$4,817
C
Miami, FL
Fiscal Health Score: 53/100
Average fiscal health
C
Fort Worth, TX
Fiscal Health Score: 63/100
Average fiscal health

Compare More Cities

Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.