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

New Orleans, LA vs Lafayette, LA

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

Summary

New Orleans spends 9.8% more per capita than Lafayette ($2,956/person difference). New Orleans, LA has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 52/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
New Orleans, LA
Pop. 380,408
C
52/100
Budget Balance70
Debt Burden0
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency29
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
City B
Lafayette, LA
Pop. 121,706
D
44/100
Budget Balance54
Debt Burden0
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency2
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
New Orleans
Lafayette
Total Spending
$12.5B
$3.7B
Spending / Capita
$32,984
$30,028
Total Revenue
$12.0B
$4.6B
Revenue / Capita
$31,427
$37,974
Total Debt
$870.3M
$162.4M
Debt / Capita
$2,288
$1,334
Population
380,408
121,706
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
New Orleans$0
Lafayette$615
Fire Protection
New Orleans$1,044
Lafayette$1,967
Highways & Roads
New Orleans$271
Lafayette$355
Parks & Recreation
New Orleans$966
Lafayette$1,923
Education
New Orleans$951
Lafayette$1,758
Health
New Orleans$507
Lafayette$851

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

New OrleansLafayette
Property Tax
$62
$0
Sales Tax
$327
$1,778
Income Tax
$993
$1,580
Intergovernmental
$3,013
$956
Charges & Fees
$3,241
$2,527
Other
$5,501
$3,792

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

New OrleansLafayette
Police
$0
$615
Fire Protection
$1,044
$1,967
Highways & Roads
$271
$355
Education
$951
$1,758
Public Welfare
$1,197
$1,573
Health
$507
$851
Hospitals
$5,002
$1,440
Parks & Recreation
$966
$1,923
Housing
$4,479
$8,621
Sewerage
$161
$0
Utilities
$4,300
$3,202
Interest on Debt
$0
$1,013
General Admin
$1,865
$0
Other
$12,243
$6,711
C
New Orleans, LA
Fiscal Health Score: 52/100
Average fiscal health
D
Lafayette, LA
Fiscal Health Score: 44/100
Below average fiscal health

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