Boston, MA vs Charlotte, NC
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Boston, MA outspends Charlotte, NC by a wide margin per resident — $72,299 versus $15,854, a 356% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
Charlotte, NC edges Boston, MA on the Fiscal Health Score by 7 points — 63/100 (grade C) to 56/100 (grade C). At a margin this narrow the grade is close enough that the factor-level detail matters more than the composite.
On debt, Boston, MA carries the lighter load at $445 per resident versus $2,690 for Charlotte, NC. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Boston, MA leads with education at $30,742 per resident, while Charlotte, NC leads with parks and recreation at $1,571.
They also fund themselves differently: intergovernmental transfers is the largest single revenue source in Boston, MA at 17% of total revenue, whereas Charlotte, NC relies most on other revenue at 10%.
Summary
Boston spends 356.0% more per capita than Charlotte ($56,445/person difference). Charlotte, NC has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 63/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Sales Tax | $78 | $541 |
| Income Tax | $0 | $366 |
| Intergovernmental | $5,357 | $1,859 |
| Charges & Fees | $2,784 | $2,459 |
| Other | $4,557 | $4,866 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $1,107 | $463 |
| Highways & Roads | $594 | $41 |
| Education | $30,742 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $1,110 | $672 |
| Health | $725 | $0 |
| Hospitals | $2,584 | $1,243 |
| Parks & Recreation | $711 | $1,571 |
| Housing | $6,614 | $3,944 |
| Sewerage | $355 | $0 |
| Utilities | $3,402 | $2,244 |
| Interest on Debt | $0 | $2,226 |
| General Admin | $5,401 | $0 |
| Other | $18,955 | $3,448 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.