St. Petersburg, FL vs Fort Lauderdale, FL
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Fort Lauderdale, FL outspends St. Petersburg, FL by a wide margin per resident — $37,099 versus $21,836, a 70% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
St. Petersburg, FL holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 77/100 (grade B) against 55/100 (grade C) for Fort Lauderdale, FL — a 22-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
St. Petersburg, FL reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Fort Lauderdale, FL carries $1,183 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 Fort Lauderdale, FL at $7,663.
They also fund themselves differently: intergovernmental transfers is the largest single revenue source in St. Petersburg, FL at 100% of total revenue, whereas Fort Lauderdale, FL relies most on charges and fees at 18%.
Summary
Fort Lauderdale spends 41.1% more per capita than St. Petersburg ($15,263/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 | $1,496 |
| Income Tax | $2,094 | $1,238 |
| Intergovernmental | $34,179 | $1,700 |
| Charges & Fees | $2,683 | $9,057 |
| Other | $5,544 | $1,118 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $3,795 | $7,663 |
| Public Welfare | $669 | $619 |
| Health | $308 | $0 |
| Hospitals | $546 | $518 |
| Parks & Recreation | $3,226 | $2,357 |
| Housing | $4,761 | $7,339 |
| Sewerage | $131 | $1,517 |
| Utilities | $3,465 | $7,411 |
| Interest on Debt | $0 | $77 |
| Other | $4,935 | $9,599 |
Compare More Cities
Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.