New Bedford, MA vs Fall River, MA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
New Bedford, MA spends 19% more per resident than Fall River, MA: $49,215 against $41,251. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
New Bedford, MA holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 49/100 (grade D) against 41/100 (grade D) for Fall River, MA — a 8-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
On debt, New Bedford, MA carries the lighter load at $506 per resident versus $585 for Fall River, MA. Both cities pour the most per-resident dollars into the same function: education leads in New Bedford, MA at $31,923 per resident and in Fall River, MA at $28,175.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 31% of total revenue in New Bedford, MA and 15% in Fall River, MA.
Summary
New Bedford spends 19.3% more per capita than Fall River ($7,964/person difference). New Bedford, MA has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (D, 49/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Sales Tax | $123 | $165 |
| Income Tax | $5 | $0 |
| Intergovernmental | $7,480 | $5,430 |
| Charges & Fees | $1,982 | $1,459 |
| Other | $4,106 | $4,494 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $252 | $265 |
| Highways & Roads | $886 | $0 |
| Education | $31,923 | $28,175 |
| Public Welfare | $708 | $581 |
| Health | $255 | $178 |
| Hospitals | $610 | $602 |
| Parks & Recreation | $315 | $211 |
| Housing | $2,315 | $2,452 |
| Sewerage | $99 | $127 |
| Utilities | $887 | $1,773 |
| Other | $10,966 | $6,887 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.