Boston, MA vs Colorado Springs, CO
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Boston, MA outspends Colorado Springs, CO by a wide margin per resident — $72,299 versus $13,222, a 447% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
Colorado Springs, CO edges Boston, MA on the Fiscal Health Score by 3 points — 59/100 (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 $3,063 for Colorado Springs, CO. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Boston, MA leads with education at $30,742 per resident, while Colorado Springs, CO leads with fire protection at $1,266.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 17% of total revenue in Boston, MA and 13% in Colorado Springs, CO.
Summary
Boston spends 446.8% more per capita than Colorado Springs ($59,076/person difference). Colorado Springs, CO has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 59/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Sales Tax | $78 | $257 |
| Intergovernmental | $5,357 | $6,902 |
| Charges & Fees | $2,784 | $5,676 |
| Other | $4,557 | $2,678 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $1,107 | $1,266 |
| Highways & Roads | $594 | $0 |
| Education | $30,742 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $1,110 | $575 |
| Health | $725 | $0 |
| Hospitals | $2,584 | $416 |
| Parks & Recreation | $711 | $376 |
| Housing | $6,614 | $2,713 |
| Sewerage | $355 | $0 |
| Utilities | $3,402 | $2,566 |
| Interest on Debt | $0 | $190 |
| General Admin | $5,401 | $0 |
| Other | $18,955 | $5,120 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.