Per-person municipal government spending up 15.2 per cent on average in 17 municipalities across Metro Vancouver, 2009 to 2019

Comparing per-Person Spending and Revenue in Metro Vancouver, 2009–2019

Summary

• Municipal governments play an important role in the lives of British Columbians by providing key services and collecting taxes and fees.
• There were very wide variations in per-person spending and revenue from 2009 to 2019 across the 17 municipalities of Metro Vancouver covered in this study.
• The average increase in per-person spending (inflation-adjusted) was 15.2%.
• West Vancouver was the highest spender in 2019 ($3,267 per person), while Surrey spent the least ($1,435 per person). New Westminster ($2,558) and Vancouver ($2,415) were the region’s next highest spenders.
• All 17 Metro Vancouver municipalities recorded increases in inflation-adjusted per-person spending over the eleven-year period.
• Double-digit growth occurred in 15 of the 17 municipalities. In four municipalities growth in per-person spending exceeded 20%: White Rock (27.7%), Richmond (24.0%), Port Moody (23.6%), and District of Langley (20.6%).
• The municipal average for growth in revenue per person was 22.7%.
• Coquitlam collected the most revenue (inflation-adjusted) per person ($3,181), followed by West Vancouver ($3,137) and White Rock ($3,133).
• Port Coquitlam collected the least ($1,813), followed by Surrey ($1,929), with the second lowest revenue per person in Metro Vancouver.
• Between 2009 and 2019, Coquitlam’s per-person revenue grew the most (58.7%), while only Port Coquitlam recorded a decrease (1.6%).