Skip to main content
Data from U.S. Census Bureau · 2026 · Methodology
CitySpend

Rockville, MD vs Frederick, MD

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

Reviewed by CitySpend Editorial Team · Updated

Frederick, MD outspends Rockville, MD by a wide margin per resident — $160,619 versus $16,912, a 850% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.

Rockville, MD holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 82/100 (grade A) against 63/100 (grade C) for Frederick, MD — a 19-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.

Neither city reports outstanding debt per resident in its current Census filing, which removes debt service as a point of difference between them. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Rockville, MD leads with parks and recreation at $3,552 per resident, while Frederick, MD leads with education at $97,323.

They also fund themselves differently: other revenue is the largest single revenue source in Rockville, MD at 18% of total revenue, whereas Frederick, MD relies most on intergovernmental transfers at 17%.

Summary

Frederick spends 89.5% more per capita than Rockville ($143,706/person difference). Rockville, MD has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 82/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
Rockville, MD
Pop. 67,142
A
82/100
Budget Balance84
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency70
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
City B
Frederick, MD
Pop. 78,390
C
63/100
Budget Balance50
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Rockville
Frederick
Total Spending
$1.1B
$12.6B
Spending / Capita
$16,912
$160,619
Total Revenue
$1.2B
$7.6B
Revenue / Capita
$18,436
$97,078
Total Debt
$0
$0
Debt / Capita
$0
$0
Population
67,142
78,390
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
Rockville$0
Frederick$2,597
Fire Protection
Rockville$1,156
Frederick$3,051
Highways & Roads
Rockville$570
Frederick$1,430
Parks & Recreation
Rockville$3,552
Frederick$1,503
Education
Rockville$0
Frederick$97,323

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

RockvilleFrederick
Sales Tax
$1,042
$304
Income Tax
$1,014
$3,688
Intergovernmental
$1,831
$16,425
Charges & Fees
$1,776
$3,352
Other
$3,295
$10,900

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

RockvilleFrederick
Police
$0
$2,597
Fire Protection
$1,156
$3,051
Highways & Roads
$570
$1,430
Education
$0
$97,323
Public Welfare
$2,033
$2,207
Hospitals
$238
$2,058
Parks & Recreation
$3,552
$1,503
Housing
$1,891
$5,157
Sewerage
$672
$249
Utilities
$2,475
$6,503
Interest on Debt
$0
$1,189
General Admin
$0
$484
Other
$4,326
$36,868
A
Rockville, MD
Fiscal Health Score: 82/100
Excellent fiscal health
C
Frederick, MD
Fiscal Health Score: 63/100
Average fiscal health

Compare More Cities

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