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Data from U.S. Census Bureau · 2026 · Methodology
CitySpend

Boston, MA vs Arlington, TX

Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)

Summary

Boston spends 514.3% more per capita than Arlington ($60,529/person difference). Arlington, TX has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 83/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
Boston, MA
Pop. 665,945
C
56/100
Budget Balance25
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
City B
Arlington, TX
Pop. 393,469
A
83/100
Budget Balance78
Debt Burden96
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity89
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Boston
Arlington
Total Spending
$48.1B
$4.6B
Spending / Capita
$72,299
$11,769
Total Revenue
$20.8B
$23.8B
Revenue / Capita
$31,243
$60,454
Total Debt
$296.3M
$233.8M
Debt / Capita
$445
$594
Population
665,945
393,469
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Boston$1,107
Arlington$160
Highways & Roads
Boston$594
Arlington$149
Parks & Recreation
Boston$711
Arlington$1,352
Education
Boston$30,742
Arlington$0
Health
Boston$725
Arlington$219

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

BostonArlington
Sales Tax
$78
$507
Income Tax
$0
$73
Intergovernmental
$5,357
$25,062
Charges & Fees
$2,784
$2,949
Other
$4,557
$3,897

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

BostonArlington
Fire Protection
$1,107
$160
Highways & Roads
$594
$149
Education
$30,742
$0
Public Welfare
$1,110
$826
Health
$725
$219
Hospitals
$2,584
$152
Parks & Recreation
$711
$1,352
Housing
$6,614
$2,981
Sewerage
$355
$141
Utilities
$3,402
$1,385
General Admin
$5,401
$0
Other
$18,955
$4,404
C
Boston, MA
Fiscal Health Score: 56/100
Average fiscal health
A
Arlington, TX
Fiscal Health Score: 83/100
Excellent fiscal health

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