New Bedford, MA vs Lowell, MA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Summary
New Bedford spends 1.6% more per capita than Lowell ($758/person difference). Lowell, MA has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 50/100).
Fiscal Health Score
D
49/100
Budget Balance5
Debt Burden89
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
C
50/100
Budget Balance3
Debt Burden94
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
Key Metrics
Metric
New Bedford
Lowell
Total Spending
$5.0B
$5.6B
Spending / Capita
$49,215
$48,457
Total Revenue
$2.4B
$3.1B
Revenue / Capita
$23,972
$27,222
Total Debt
$50.9M
$53.9M
Debt / Capita
$506
$470
Population
100,620
114,737
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0
Per Capita Spending by Department
Fire Protection
New Bedford$252
Lowell$194
Highways & Roads
New Bedford$886
Lowell$182
Parks & Recreation
New Bedford$315
Lowell$292
Education
New Bedford$31,923
Lowell$31,397
Health
New Bedford$255
Lowell$139
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
New BedfordLowell
| Sales Tax | $123 | $639 |
| Income Tax | $5 | $274 |
| Intergovernmental | $7,480 | $4,160 |
| Charges & Fees | $1,982 | $1,061 |
| Other | $4,106 | $2,654 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
New BedfordLowell
| Fire Protection | $252 | $194 |
| Highways & Roads | $886 | $182 |
| Education | $31,923 | $31,397 |
| Public Welfare | $708 | $349 |
| Health | $255 | $139 |
| Hospitals | $610 | $425 |
| Parks & Recreation | $315 | $292 |
| Housing | $2,315 | $2,733 |
| Sewerage | $99 | $126 |
| Utilities | $887 | $1,234 |
| Other | $10,966 | $11,388 |
D
New Bedford, MA
Fiscal Health Score: 49/100
Below average fiscal health
C
Lowell, MA
Fiscal Health Score: 50/100
Average fiscal health