St. Petersburg, FL vs Tampa, FL
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Tampa, FL spends 41% more per resident than St. Petersburg, FL: $30,690 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 33/100 (grade F) for Tampa, FL — a 44-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
St. Petersburg, FL reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Tampa, FL carries $2,378 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 Tampa, FL at $7,576.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 100% of total revenue in St. Petersburg, FL and 55% in Tampa, FL.
Summary
Tampa spends 28.9% more per capita than St. Petersburg ($8,854/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 | $1,180 |
| Income Tax | $2,094 | $2,437 |
| Intergovernmental | $34,179 | $13,224 |
| Charges & Fees | $2,683 | $3,962 |
| Other | $5,544 | $4,657 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $3,795 | $7,576 |
| Highways & Roads | $0 | $418 |
| Public Welfare | $669 | $1,507 |
| Health | $308 | $0 |
| Hospitals | $546 | $703 |
| Parks & Recreation | $3,226 | $1,723 |
| Housing | $4,761 | $4,778 |
| Sewerage | $131 | $311 |
| Utilities | $3,465 | $4,695 |
| Interest on Debt | $0 | $89 |
| Other | $4,935 | $8,890 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.