Boston, MA vs Cambridge, MA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Summary
Cambridge spends 44.7% more per capita than Boston ($58,438/person difference). Both cities share the same Fiscal Health Score.
Fiscal Health Score
C
56/100
Budget Balance25
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
C
56/100
Budget Balance24
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
Key Metrics
Metric
Boston
Cambridge
Total Spending
$48.1B
$15.4B
Spending / Capita
$72,299
$130,737
Total Revenue
$20.8B
$5.1B
Revenue / Capita
$31,243
$43,440
Total Debt
$296.3M
$49.6M
Debt / Capita
$445
$420
Population
665,945
117,962
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0
Per Capita Spending by Department
Fire Protection
Boston$1,107
Cambridge$672
Highways & Roads
Boston$594
Cambridge$467
Parks & Recreation
Boston$711
Cambridge$2,179
Education
Boston$30,742
Cambridge$25,601
Health
Boston$725
Cambridge$998
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
BostonCambridge
| Sales Tax | $78 | $1,121 |
| Intergovernmental | $5,357 | $7,117 |
| Charges & Fees | $2,784 | $1,585 |
| Other | $4,557 | $6,370 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
BostonCambridge
| Fire Protection | $1,107 | $672 |
| Highways & Roads | $594 | $467 |
| Education | $30,742 | $25,601 |
| Public Welfare | $1,110 | $737 |
| Health | $725 | $998 |
| Hospitals | $2,584 | $508 |
| Parks & Recreation | $711 | $2,179 |
| Housing | $6,614 | $4,715 |
| Sewerage | $355 | $1,718 |
| Utilities | $3,402 | $2,291 |
| General Admin | $5,401 | $76,486 |
| Other | $18,955 | $14,364 |
C
Boston, MA
Fiscal Health Score: 56/100
Average fiscal health
C
Cambridge, MA
Fiscal Health Score: 56/100
Average fiscal health