Skip to main content
Data from U.S. Census Bureau · 2026 · Methodology
CitySpend

Boston, MA vs Atlanta, GA

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

Summary

Boston spends 184.0% more per capita than Atlanta ($46,842/person difference). Atlanta, GA has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 85/100).

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
Atlanta, GA
Pop. 494,838
A
85/100
Budget Balance100
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency64
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Boston
Atlanta
Total Spending
$48.1B
$12.6B
Spending / Capita
$72,299
$25,457
Total Revenue
$20.8B
$77.6B
Revenue / Capita
$31,243
$156,803
Total Debt
$296.3M
$0
Debt / Capita
$445
$0
Population
665,945
494,838
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
Boston$0
Atlanta$315
Fire Protection
Boston$1,107
Atlanta$464
Highways & Roads
Boston$594
Atlanta$513
Parks & Recreation
Boston$711
Atlanta$1,274
Education
Boston$30,742
Atlanta$25
Health
Boston$725
Atlanta$0

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

BostonAtlanta
Property Tax
$0
$419
Sales Tax
$78
$0
Income Tax
$0
$1,292
Intergovernmental
$5,357
$9,121
Charges & Fees
$2,784
$5,645
Other
$4,557
$5,461

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

BostonAtlanta
Police
$0
$315
Fire Protection
$1,107
$464
Highways & Roads
$594
$513
Education
$30,742
$25
Public Welfare
$1,110
$1,587
Health
$725
$0
Hospitals
$2,584
$55
Parks & Recreation
$711
$1,274
Housing
$6,614
$4,594
Sewerage
$355
$343
Utilities
$3,402
$8,026
General Admin
$5,401
$0
Other
$18,955
$8,262
C
Boston, MA
Fiscal Health Score: 56/100
Average fiscal health
A
Atlanta, GA
Fiscal Health Score: 85/100
Excellent fiscal health

Compare More Cities