Boston, MA vs Chicago, IL
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Summary
Boston spends 109.2% more per capita than Chicago ($37,747/person difference). Chicago, IL has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 61/100).
Fiscal Health Score
C
56/100
Budget Balance25
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
C
61/100
Budget Balance100
Debt Burden61
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency22
Revenue Diversity0
Trend Direction50
Key Metrics
Metric
Boston
Chicago
Total Spending
$48.1B
$94.0B
Spending / Capita
$72,299
$34,551
Total Revenue
$20.8B
$231.6B
Revenue / Capita
$31,243
$85,083
Total Debt
$296.3M
$2.7B
Debt / Capita
$445
$977
Population
665,945
2,721,914
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0
Per Capita Spending by Department
Fire Protection
Boston$1,107
Chicago$10,754
Highways & Roads
Boston$594
Chicago$930
Parks & Recreation
Boston$711
Chicago$122
Education
Boston$30,742
Chicago$0
Health
Boston$725
Chicago$426
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
BostonChicago
| Property Tax | $0 | $26 |
| Sales Tax | $78 | $74 |
| Income Tax | $0 | $229 |
| Intergovernmental | $5,357 | $85,083 |
| Charges & Fees | $2,784 | $2,847 |
| Other | $4,557 | $3,463 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
BostonChicago
| Fire Protection | $1,107 | $10,754 |
| Highways & Roads | $594 | $930 |
| Education | $30,742 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $1,110 | $1,858 |
| Health | $725 | $426 |
| Hospitals | $2,584 | $1,444 |
| Parks & Recreation | $711 | $122 |
| Housing | $6,614 | $6,520 |
| Sewerage | $355 | $129 |
| Utilities | $3,402 | $2,983 |
| General Admin | $5,401 | $0 |
| Other | $18,955 | $9,385 |
C
Boston, MA
Fiscal Health Score: 56/100
Average fiscal health
C
Chicago, IL
Fiscal Health Score: 61/100
Average fiscal health