Pawtucket, RI vs Providence, RI
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Providence, RI spends 17% more per resident than Pawtucket, RI: $50,124 against $42,799. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Pawtucket, RI holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 45/100 (grade D) against 32/100 (grade F) for Providence, RI — a 13-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
On debt, Pawtucket, RI carries the lighter load at $465 per resident versus $1,664 for Providence, RI. Both cities pour the most per-resident dollars into the same function: education leads in Pawtucket, RI at $26,908 per resident and in Providence, RI at $29,047.
They also fund themselves differently: charges and fees is the largest single revenue source in Pawtucket, RI at 11% of total revenue, whereas Providence, RI relies most on other revenue at 15%.
Summary
Providence spends 14.6% more per capita than Pawtucket ($7,325/person difference). Pawtucket, RI has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (D, 45/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $0 | $12 |
| Sales Tax | $22 | $97 |
| Intergovernmental | $333 | $695 |
| Charges & Fees | $2,813 | $4,981 |
| Other | $583 | $5,833 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $328 | $455 |
| Highways & Roads | $305 | $605 |
| Education | $26,908 | $29,047 |
| Public Welfare | $560 | $375 |
| Health | $3 | $219 |
| Hospitals | $207 | $769 |
| Parks & Recreation | $286 | $653 |
| Housing | $5,621 | $5,495 |
| Sewerage | $153 | $204 |
| Utilities | $1,564 | $3,615 |
| Other | $6,864 | $8,688 |
Compare More Cities
Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.