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Data from U.S. Census Bureau · 2026 · Methodology
CitySpend

St. Petersburg, FL vs Tampa, FL

Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)

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

City A
St. Petersburg, FL
Pop. 259,343
B
77/100
Budget Balance100
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency80
Revenue Diversity0
Trend Direction50
City B
Tampa, FL
Pop. 388,768
F
33/100
Budget Balance16
Debt Burden0
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency40
Revenue Diversity32
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
St. Petersburg
Tampa
Total Spending
$5.7B
$11.9B
Spending / Capita
$21,836
$30,690
Total Revenue
$8.9B
$9.3B
Revenue / Capita
$34,179
$23,941
Total Debt
$0
$924.5M
Debt / Capita
$0
$2,378
Population
259,343
388,768
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
St. Petersburg$3,795
Tampa$7,576
Highways & Roads
St. Petersburg$0
Tampa$418
Parks & Recreation
St. Petersburg$3,226
Tampa$1,723
Health
St. Petersburg$308
Tampa$0

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

St. PetersburgTampa
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)

St. PetersburgTampa
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
B
St. Petersburg, FL
Fiscal Health Score: 77/100
Good fiscal health
F
Tampa, FL
Fiscal Health Score: 33/100
Critical fiscal distress

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