Boston, MA vs Atlanta, GA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Boston, MA outspends Atlanta, GA by a wide margin per resident — $72,299 versus $25,457, a 184% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
Atlanta, GA holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 85/100 (grade A) against 56/100 (grade C) for Boston, MA — a 29-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
Atlanta, GA reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Boston, MA carries $445 per resident. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Boston, MA leads with education at $30,742 per resident, while Atlanta, GA leads with parks and recreation at $1,274.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 17% of total revenue in Boston, MA and 6% in Atlanta, GA.
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
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| 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)
| 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 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.