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

Tallahassee, FL vs Orlando, FL

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

Reviewed by CitySpend Editorial Team · Updated

Orlando, FL and Tallahassee, FL spend within 4.2% of each other per resident — $31,123 versus $29,857 — so on the headline spending-per-capita measure the two cities are effectively neck and neck.

Orlando, FL holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 73/100 (grade B) against 63/100 (grade C) for Tallahassee, FL — a 10-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.

Orlando, 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 Tallahassee, FL at $6,805 per resident and in Orlando, FL at $5,632.

They also fund themselves differently: intergovernmental transfers is the largest single revenue source in Tallahassee, FL at 19% of total revenue, whereas Orlando, FL relies most on other revenue at 22%.

Summary

Orlando spends 4.1% more per capita than Tallahassee ($1,266/person difference). Orlando, FL has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 73/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
Tallahassee, FL
Pop. 198,259
C
63/100
Budget Balance60
Debt Burden85
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency3
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
City B
Orlando, FL
Pop. 307,738
B
73/100
Budget Balance70
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency38
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Tallahassee
Orlando
Total Spending
$5.9B
$9.6B
Spending / Capita
$29,857
$31,123
Total Revenue
$9.8B
$9.1B
Revenue / Capita
$49,453
$29,587
Total Debt
$107.6M
$0
Debt / Capita
$543
$0
Population
198,259
307,738
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Tallahassee$6,805
Orlando$5,632
Parks & Recreation
Tallahassee$1,261
Orlando$4,107

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

TallahasseeOrlando
Property Tax
$150
$0
Sales Tax
$408
$2,492
Income Tax
$1,631
$1,219
Intergovernmental
$9,184
$432
Charges & Fees
$2,128
$0
Other
$6,392
$6,520

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

TallahasseeOrlando
Fire Protection
$6,805
$5,632
Public Welfare
$3,693
$628
Hospitals
$197
$775
Parks & Recreation
$1,261
$4,107
Housing
$3,892
$5,645
Sewerage
$223
$585
Utilities
$3,311
$1,262
Interest on Debt
$1,460
$0
Other
$9,016
$12,489
C
Tallahassee, FL
Fiscal Health Score: 63/100
Average fiscal health
B
Orlando, FL
Fiscal Health Score: 73/100
Good fiscal health

Compare More Cities

Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.