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

St. George, UT vs Provo, UT

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

Reviewed by CitySpend Editorial Team · Updated

St. George, UT outspends Provo, UT by a wide margin per resident — $12,862 versus $7,873, a 63% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.

Provo, UT holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 85/100 (grade A) against 62/100 (grade C) for St. George, UT — a 23-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.

On debt, St. George, UT carries the lighter load at $14 per resident versus $632 for Provo, UT. Both cities pour the most per-resident dollars into the same function: parks and recreation leads in St. George, UT at $2,093 per resident and in Provo, UT at $964.

On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 100% of total revenue in St. George, UT and 18% in Provo, UT.

Summary

St. George spends 63.4% more per capita than Provo ($4,990/person difference). Provo, UT has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 85/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
St. George, UT
Pop. 96,174
C
62/100
Budget Balance29
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency97
Revenue Diversity0
Trend Direction50
City B
Provo, UT
Pop. 114,400
A
85/100
Budget Balance100
Debt Burden74
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
St. George
Provo
Total Spending
$1.2B
$900.6M
Spending / Capita
$12,862
$7,873
Total Revenue
$917.4M
$1.8B
Revenue / Capita
$9,539
$16,018
Total Debt
$1.3M
$72.3M
Debt / Capita
$14
$632
Population
96,174
114,400
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
St. George$259
Provo$149
Highways & Roads
St. George$157
Provo$0
Parks & Recreation
St. George$2,093
Provo$964
Education
St. George$46
Provo$49
Health
St. George$0
Provo$295

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

St. GeorgeProvo
Property Tax
$2
$0
Sales Tax
$1,485
$716
Income Tax
$848
$0
Intergovernmental
$9,539
$2,902
Charges & Fees
$3,377
$1,503
Other
$3,654
$1,669

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

St. GeorgeProvo
Fire Protection
$259
$149
Highways & Roads
$157
$0
Education
$46
$49
Public Welfare
$392
$209
Health
$0
$295
Hospitals
$72
$193
Parks & Recreation
$2,093
$964
Housing
$1,989
$1,450
Sewerage
$391
$275
Utilities
$2,612
$550
Interest on Debt
$282
$0
Other
$4,569
$3,738
C
St. George, UT
Fiscal Health Score: 62/100
Average fiscal health
A
Provo, UT
Fiscal Health Score: 85/100
Excellent fiscal health

Compare More Cities

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