February 24, 2012
Revenue per Resident in Rhode Island Municipalities
Carroll Andrew Morse
While the percentage measures used in the previous posts provide initial insights into the question of willingness and ability to pay with regards to local taxation, the total picture requires looking at an absolute measure of what each RI city and town has available to spend, since the cost structure for local services is not a linear function of local income. For example the fact that per-capita income in North Providence is 80% of what it is in Foster does not mean that North Providence can provide the same services for 80% of what they cost in Foster.
Revenue from five sources for fiscal year 2011 (with the exception of the fire levies, noted below) is included in this table:
- The real property levy from all sources; residential, commercial and industrial.
- State non-education aid, which includes PILOT payments and the state car-tax reimbursement.
- Fire-district levies from all sources (using the 2010 data).
- Local car-tax levies.
- State education aid.
The amounts in each of the five categories for each city/town are below the fold, in Table 4.
Results are ranked using the sum of the five revenue sources per-capita...
| Community | Revenue From All Considered Sources | Population | Estimated Revenue per Resident |
| New Shoreham | $8,569,119 | 1,051 | $8,153 |
| East Greenwich | $48,431,608 | 13,146 | $3,684 |
| Jamestown | $18,984,613 | 5,405 | $3,512 |
| Barrington | $56,539,329 | 16,310 | $3,467 |
| West Greenwich | $19,504,001 | 6,135 | $3,179 |
| Charlestown | $24,593,699 | 7,827 | $3,142 |
| Westerly | $71,429,766 | 22,787 | $3,135 |
| Middletown | $49,407,769 | 16,150 | $3,059 |
| Foster | $13,860,749 | 4,606 | $3,009 |
| Newport | $73,014,485 | 24,672 | $2,959 |
| Portsmouth | $51,175,543 | 17,389 | $2,943 |
| Hopkinton | $23,912,807 | 8,188 | $2,920 |
| Little Compton | $10,196,191 | 3,492 | $2,920 |
| Narragansett | $45,773,136 | 15,868 | $2,885 |
| North Kingstown | $75,786,657 | 26,486 | $2,861 |
| Warwick | $234,713,634 | 82,672 | $2,839 |
| Glocester | $27,639,056 | 9,746 | $2,836 |
| Smithfield | $60,184,769 | 21,430 | $2,808 |
| Central Falls | $53,669,511 | 19,376 | $2,770 |
| Richmond | $21,284,730 | 7,708 | $2,761 |
| Providence | $488,555,304 | 178,042 | $2,744 |
| Lincoln | $57,568,015 | 21,105 | $2,728 |
| Scituate | $27,473,139 | 10,329 | $2,660 |
| Burrillville | $41,749,102 | 15,955 | $2,617 |
| Exeter | $16,680,553 | 6,425 | $2,596 |
| Cranston | $207,593,421 | 80,387 | $2,582 |
| Warren | $27,196,787 | 10,611 | $2,563 |
| Tiverton | $39,471,890 | 15,780 | $2,501 |
| Coventry | $85,874,992 | 35,014 | $2,453 |
| North Smithfield | $29,330,391 | 11,967 | $2,451 |
| South Kingstown | $74,173,165 | 30,639 | $2,421 |
| North Providence | $75,579,151 | 32,078 | $2,356 |
| East Providence | $108,554,357 | 47,037 | $2,308 |
| Woonsocket | $93,586,294 | 41,186 | $2,272 |
| West Warwick | $65,936,808 | 29,191 | $2,259 |
| Cumberland | $73,274,936 | 33,506 | $2,187 |
| Johnston | $62,572,597 | 28,769 | $2,175 |
| Pawtucket | $154,046,441 | 71,148 | $2,165 |
| Bristol | $48,178,255 | 22,954 | $2,099 |
Now, to put this all together...
| Community | Real Property Levy | Appropriated State Aid | Fire Levy (2010) | Car Tax Levy | State Education Aid | Estimated Total Revenue |
| Barrington | $49,117,548 | $617,332 | $0 | $5,421,597 | $1,382,853 | $56,539,329 |
| Bristol | $33,043,738 | $803,895 | $0 | $2,114,743 | $12,215,879 | $48,178,255 |
| Burrillville | $21,626,663 | $1,114,166 | $2,423,428 | $4,214,812 | $12,370,033 | $41,749,102 |
| Central Falls | $10,435,467 | $543,833 | $0 | $1,692,957 | $40,997,254 | $53,669,511 |
| Charlestown | $20,533,877 | $87,662 | $1,384,058 | $875,848 | $1,712,254 | $24,593,699 |
| Coventry | $55,179,009 | $423,961 | $8,386,987 | $4,996,092 | $16,888,942 | $85,874,992 |
| Cranston | $152,545,092 | $5,756,330 | $0 | $19,779,811 | $29,512,187 | $207,593,421 |
| Cumberland | $49,941,956 | $459,077 | $6,756,292 | $5,094,064 | $11,023,547 | $73,274,936 |
| East Greenwich | $40,998,655 | $238,877 | $4,163,061 | $2,005,805 | $1,025,209 | $48,431,608 |
| East Providence | $74,502,485 | $2,104,628 | $0 | $8,836,962 | $23,110,281 | $108,554,357 |
| Exeter | $10,464,440 | $115,122 | $1,035,934 | $1,873,562 | $3,191,494 | $16,680,553 |
| Foster | $9,826,016 | $104,033 | $0 | $1,143,949 | $2,786,751 | $13,860,749 |
| Glocester | $18,154,502 | $163,465 | $1,205,723 | $2,012,696 | $6,102,670 | $27,639,056 |
| Hopkinton | $15,894,338 | $94,524 | $1,127,619 | $1,340,465 | $5,455,860 | $23,912,807 |
| Jamestown | $18,051,277 | $113,053 | $0 | $501,120 | $319,163 | $18,984,613 |
| Johnston | $52,967,452 | $478,858 | $0 | $204,162 | $8,922,125 | $62,572,597 |
| Lincoln | $42,266,817 | $416,053 | $4,678,636 | $4,492,145 | $5,714,364 | $57,568,015 |
| Little Compton | $9,604,414 | $50,250 | $0 | $297,583 | $243,944 | $10,196,191 |
| Middletown | $38,717,663 | $212,660 | $0 | $1,536,033 | $8,941,414 | $49,407,769 |
| Narragansett | $42,789,815 | $208,960 | $245,888 | $1,343,389 | $1,185,084 | $45,773,136 |
| Newport | $60,045,258 | $1,065,913 | $0 | $1,724,590 | $10,178,723 | $73,014,485 |
| New Shoreham | $8,082,112 | $372,680 | $0 | $86,946 | $27,381 | $8,569,119 |
| North Kingstown | $61,167,487 | $480,628 | $0 | $4,304,727 | $9,833,815 | $75,786,657 |
| North Providence | $53,952,680 | $1,471,619 | $0 | $8,870,833 | $11,284,019 | $75,579,151 |
| North Smithfield | $21,234,295 | $235,431 | $0 | $3,840,809 | $4,019,856 | $29,330,391 |
| Pawtucket | $76,765,817 | $3,762,330 | $0 | $13,855,082 | $59,663,211 | $154,046,441 |
| Portsmouth | $43,105,307 | $209,400 | $493,808 | $1,881,879 | $5,485,149 | $51,175,543 |
| Providence | $256,120,965 | $29,872,599 | $0 | $31,634,368 | $170,927,371 | $488,555,304 |
| Richmond | $14,083,585 | $82,074 | $459,388 | $1,234,689 | $5,424,994 | $21,284,730 |
| Scituate | $23,036,054 | $219,739 | $0 | $1,567,667 | $2,649,679 | $27,473,139 |
| Smithfield | $48,585,535 | $965,642 | $0 | $6,167,390 | $4,466,202 | $60,184,769 |
| South Kingstown | $59,736,318 | $502,392 | $2,331,788 | $3,177,280 | $8,425,386 | $74,173,165 |
| Tiverton | $32,309,942 | $199,185 | $799,554 | $1,277,633 | $4,885,575 | $39,471,890 |
| Warren | $19,657,522 | $133,935 | $0 | $1,758,267 | $5,647,063 | $27,196,787 |
| Warwick | $178,253,730 | $2,771,536 | $0 | $22,656,024 | $31,032,344 | $234,713,634 |
| Westerly | $58,046,078 | $365,386 | $3,004,157 | $4,891,573 | $5,122,572 | $71,429,766 |
| West Greenwich | $15,102,424 | $220,947 | $0 | $1,133,188 | $3,047,443 | $19,504,001 |
| West Warwick | $42,358,092 | $1,905,724 | $0 | $3,885,599 | $17,787,393 | $65,936,808 |
| Woonsocket | $41,634,604 | $1,911,609 | $0 | $7,832,720 | $42,207,361 | $93,586,294 |