St. Petersburg, FL vs Tallahassee, FL
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Tallahassee, FL spends 37% more per resident than St. Petersburg, FL: $29,857 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 63/100 (grade C) for Tallahassee, FL — a 14-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
St. Petersburg, FL reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Tallahassee, FL carries $543 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 Tallahassee, FL at $6,805.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 100% of total revenue in St. Petersburg, FL and 19% in Tallahassee, FL.
Summary
Tallahassee spends 26.9% more per capita than St. Petersburg ($8,022/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 | $150 |
| Sales Tax | $1,480 | $408 |
| Income Tax | $2,094 | $1,631 |
| Intergovernmental | $34,179 | $9,184 |
| Charges & Fees | $2,683 | $2,128 |
| Other | $5,544 | $6,392 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $3,795 | $6,805 |
| Public Welfare | $669 | $3,693 |
| Health | $308 | $0 |
| Hospitals | $546 | $197 |
| Parks & Recreation | $3,226 | $1,261 |
| Housing | $4,761 | $3,892 |
| Sewerage | $131 | $223 |
| Utilities | $3,465 | $3,311 |
| Interest on Debt | $0 | $1,460 |
| Other | $4,935 | $9,016 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.