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

Tampa, FL vs Fort Lauderdale, FL

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

Summary

Fort Lauderdale spends 17.3% more per capita than Tampa ($6,409/person difference). Fort Lauderdale, FL has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 55/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
Tampa, FL
Pop. 388,768
F
33/100
Budget Balance16
Debt Burden0
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency40
Revenue Diversity32
Trend Direction50
City B
Fort Lauderdale, FL
Pop. 182,673
C
55/100
Budget Balance92
Debt Burden8
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Tampa
Fort Lauderdale
Total Spending
$11.9B
$6.8B
Spending / Capita
$30,690
$37,099
Total Revenue
$9.3B
$9.4B
Revenue / Capita
$23,941
$51,266
Total Debt
$924.5M
$216.2M
Debt / Capita
$2,378
$1,183
Population
388,768
182,673
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Tampa$7,576
Fort Lauderdale$7,663
Highways & Roads
Tampa$418
Fort Lauderdale$0
Parks & Recreation
Tampa$1,723
Fort Lauderdale$2,357

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

TampaFort Lauderdale
Sales Tax
$1,180
$1,496
Income Tax
$2,437
$1,238
Intergovernmental
$13,224
$1,700
Charges & Fees
$3,962
$9,057
Other
$4,657
$1,118

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

TampaFort Lauderdale
Fire Protection
$7,576
$7,663
Highways & Roads
$418
$0
Public Welfare
$1,507
$619
Hospitals
$703
$518
Parks & Recreation
$1,723
$2,357
Housing
$4,778
$7,339
Sewerage
$311
$1,517
Utilities
$4,695
$7,411
Interest on Debt
$89
$77
Other
$8,890
$9,599
F
Tampa, FL
Fiscal Health Score: 33/100
Critical fiscal distress
C
Fort Lauderdale, FL
Fiscal Health Score: 55/100
Average fiscal health

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