Rockville, MD vs Gaithersburg, MD
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Rockville, MD outspends Gaithersburg, MD by a wide margin per resident — $16,912 versus $9,479, a 78% 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 55/100 (grade C) for Gaithersburg, MD — a 27-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. Both cities pour the most per-resident dollars into the same function: parks and recreation leads in Rockville, MD at $3,552 per resident and in Gaithersburg, MD at $1,507.
Summary
Rockville spends 78.4% more per capita than Gaithersburg ($7,434/person difference). Rockville, MD has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 82/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Sales Tax | $1,042 | $530 |
| Income Tax | $1,014 | $266 |
| Intergovernmental | $1,831 | $0 |
| Charges & Fees | $1,776 | $0 |
| Other | $3,295 | $864 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $1,156 | $647 |
| Highways & Roads | $570 | $280 |
| Public Welfare | $2,033 | $932 |
| Hospitals | $238 | $452 |
| Parks & Recreation | $3,552 | $1,507 |
| Housing | $1,891 | $1,611 |
| Sewerage | $672 | $254 |
| Utilities | $2,475 | $541 |
| Interest on Debt | $0 | $263 |
| Other | $4,326 | $2,991 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.