Saint John spent $3,021 per person in 2024, according to a new study from the Fraser Institute.
That was the highest amount among New Brunswick’s major municipalities.
Quispamsis spent the least, $1,868, and the average expenditure across the 10 municipalities was $2,410.
“A clear understanding of how municipalities’ finances evolve over time, and how they compare to one another, is essential to assessing whether changes in revenue and expenditure are aligned with residents’ expectations for taxation and service delivery,” said Austin Thompson, a senior policy analyst at the Fraser Institute and the author of the study.
Comparing Per-Person Expenditure and Revenue in Major New Brunswick Municipalities, 2015-2024 compares the inflation-adjusted, per-person revenue and spending of Saint John, Moncton, Dieppe, Miramichi, Edmundston, Bathurst, Fredericton, Quispamsis, Rothesay and Riverview between 2015 and 2024.
In that span, Rothesay (6.6 per cent), Riverview (4.6 per cent), Edmundston (2.5 per cent), Quispamsis (2.4 per cent) and Miramichi (0.6 per cent) recording spending increases that outpaced population growth and inflation.
The other municipalities all recorded declines in inflation-adjusted spending per person.
Saint John had the biggest drop, down 19.8 per cent, but still spent the most per person in 2024.
“Differences in per person spending among New Brunswick’s major municipalities reflect the impact of important local government decisions,” said Thompson.
