In 2024, Saint John had the highest municipal government spending per person ($3,021) among major New Brunswick municipalities, while Quispamsis ($1,868) was the lowest, finds a new study published by the Fraser Institute, an independent, non-partisan Canadian public policy think-tank.

"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, senior policy analyst at the Fraser Institute and 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 ten major municipalities in New Brunswick from 2015 to 2024. It finds that, in 2024, average expenditure across the ten municipalities was $2,410 per person, while average revenue was $3,008 per person.

From 2015 to 2024, the municipalities of 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) recorded spending increases that outpaced both population growth and inflation.

Meanwhile, Fredericton, Bathurst, Moncton, Dieppe, and Saint John all recorded declines in inflation-adjusted spending per person from 2015 to 2024. Saint John recorded the steepest decline, at -19.8 per cent, yet still spent the most per person in 2024.

On average, inflation-adjusted spending per person declined 7.1 per cent from $2,594 in 2015 to $2,410 in 2024 in New Brunswick's major municipalities.

"Differences in per person spending among New Brunswick's major municipalities reflect the impact of important local government decisions," said Thompson.

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