St. Petersburg, FL vs Cape Coral, FL
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
St. Petersburg, FL spends 51% more per resident than Cape Coral, FL: $21,836 against $14,436. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
St. Petersburg, FL holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 77/100 (grade B) against 69/100 (grade B) for Cape Coral, FL — a 8-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
St. Petersburg, FL reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Cape Coral, FL carries $2,046 per resident. Both cities pour the most per-resident dollars into the same function: fire protection leads in St. Petersburg, FL at $3,795 per resident and in Cape Coral, FL at $3,232.
They also fund themselves differently: intergovernmental transfers is the largest single revenue source in St. Petersburg, FL at 100% of total revenue, whereas Cape Coral, FL relies most on other revenue at 7%.
Summary
St. Petersburg spends 51.3% more per capita than Cape Coral ($7,400/person difference). St. Petersburg, FL has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 77/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Sales Tax | $1,480 | $384 |
| Income Tax | $2,094 | $0 |
| Intergovernmental | $34,179 | $177 |
| Charges & Fees | $2,683 | $1,811 |
| Other | $5,544 | $3,015 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $3,795 | $3,232 |
| Education | $0 | $1,446 |
| Public Welfare | $669 | $699 |
| Health | $308 | $0 |
| Hospitals | $546 | $15 |
| Parks & Recreation | $3,226 | $952 |
| Housing | $4,761 | $2,474 |
| Sewerage | $131 | $465 |
| Utilities | $3,465 | $481 |
| Other | $4,935 | $4,672 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.