St. Petersburg, FL vs Miami, FL
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Miami, FL spends 29% more per resident than St. Petersburg, FL: $28,195 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 Miami, FL — a 24-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: fire protection leads in St. Petersburg, FL at $3,795 per resident and in Miami, FL at $7,399.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 100% of total revenue in St. Petersburg, FL and 100% in Miami, FL.
Summary
Miami spends 22.6% more per capita than St. Petersburg ($6,359/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 | $0 |
| Sales Tax | $1,480 | $1,647 |
| Income Tax | $2,094 | $0 |
| Intergovernmental | $34,179 | $15,037 |
| Charges & Fees | $2,683 | $0 |
| Other | $5,544 | $1,399 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $3,795 | $7,399 |
| Public Welfare | $669 | $109 |
| Health | $308 | $0 |
| Hospitals | $546 | $1,499 |
| Parks & Recreation | $3,226 | $1,783 |
| Housing | $4,761 | $6,840 |
| Sewerage | $131 | $699 |
| Utilities | $3,465 | $1,295 |
| Other | $4,935 | $8,572 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.