Lowell — the money trail

$583,735,930

Lowell reports its budget on three official bases; this tree uses the all-funds total (583,735,930), the one whose categories add up exactly. The General Fund operating budget is $473.8M; water/sewer/parking are self-supporting enterprise funds; the City Council voted a $519.9M appropriation. FY2025 is Lowell's most recent ADOPTED budget (FY2026 is still only proposed). Click any number to open the source. The pieces add up to the all funds (incl. state assessments) total exactly.

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General Fund operating $473,837,775 · Enterprise (water/sewer/parking) $59,490,224 · Council-voted appropriation $519,919,557 · 115,554 residents (2020)

Where the money goes — FY2025, all funds (incl. state assessments)

Education (Lowell Public Schools) $271,932,247 · 46.6%

Schools — about half the whole budget. Most of it is state Chapter 70 aid.

source: City of Lowell FY2025 Adopted Budget, p.81 (all-funds category summary) ↗

General Government $150,027,628 · 25.7%

Pensions, health insurance, and state/county assessments the city must pay.

source: City of Lowell FY2025 Adopted Budget, p.81 (all-funds category summary) ↗

Public Safety $58,598,175 · 10%

Police and Fire.

source: City of Lowell FY2025 Adopted Budget, p.81 (all-funds category summary) ↗

Public Works $57,959,848 · 9.9%

Streets, water, sewer, trash, and city facilities.

source: City of Lowell FY2025 Adopted Budget, p.81 (all-funds category summary) ↗

Debt Service (capital) $36,594,420 · 6.3%

Paying off money borrowed for buildings — including the new Lowell High School.

source: City of Lowell FY2025 Adopted Budget, p.81 (all-funds category summary) ↗

Human Services $5,463,206 · 0.9%

Health, the Council on Aging, veterans, and recreation.

source: City of Lowell FY2025 Adopted Budget, p.81 (all-funds category summary) ↗

Culture & Recreation $3,160,406 · 0.5%

The Pollard Memorial Library and recreation programs.

source: City of Lowell FY2025 Adopted Budget, p.81 (all-funds category summary) ↗

Worth knowing

Schools are about 49% of the budget — Lowell Public Schools = $257.1M, most of it state Chapter 70 aid.
State "cherry sheet" assessments hit $49.7M, up from $29.2M in FY2020 — driven mainly by charter-school tuition, the city's biggest fiscal pressure.
Lowell is the 5th-largest city in Massachusetts, a designated Gateway City, and taxes business property at nearly double the residential rate.

Where these numbers come from

Every figure is from the City of Lowell FY2025 Adopted Budget (p.81 (all-funds category summary)), adopted 2024-06-04. Lowell also runs an interactive open-budget portal. This is Lowell's own budget — set by Lowell City Council, not by the county (which no longer governs).