St. Petersburg, FL vs Jacksonville, FL
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Jacksonville, FL spends 44% more per resident than St. Petersburg, FL: $31,456 against $21,836. 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 53/100 (grade C) for Jacksonville, FL — a 24-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
St. Petersburg, FL reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Jacksonville, FL carries $2,821 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 Jacksonville, FL at $9,436.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 100% of total revenue in St. Petersburg, FL and 14% in Jacksonville, FL.
Summary
Jacksonville spends 30.6% more per capita than St. Petersburg ($9,621/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)
| Property Tax | $0 | $10 |
| Sales Tax | $1,480 | $233 |
| Income Tax | $2,094 | $762 |
| Intergovernmental | $34,179 | $7,348 |
| Charges & Fees | $2,683 | $2,119 |
| Other | $5,544 | $4,705 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $0 | $18 |
| Fire Protection | $3,795 | $9,436 |
| Public Welfare | $669 | $486 |
| Health | $308 | $332 |
| Hospitals | $546 | $557 |
| Parks & Recreation | $3,226 | $1,329 |
| Housing | $4,761 | $5,572 |
| Sewerage | $131 | $176 |
| Utilities | $3,465 | $1,835 |
| Interest on Debt | $0 | $1,942 |
| Other | $4,935 | $9,771 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.