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Data from U.S. Census Bureau · 2026 · Methodology
CitySpend

Boston, MA vs Columbus, OH

Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)

Summary

Boston spends 283.4% more per capita than Columbus ($53,441/person difference). Boston, MA has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 56/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
Boston, MA
Pop. 665,945
C
56/100
Budget Balance25
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
City B
Columbus, OH
Pop. 902,449
C
52/100
Budget Balance32
Debt Burden46
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency94
Revenue Diversity0
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Boston
Columbus
Total Spending
$48.1B
$17.0B
Spending / Capita
$72,299
$18,858
Total Revenue
$20.8B
$0
Revenue / Capita
$31,243
$0
Total Debt
$296.3M
$1.0B
Debt / Capita
$445
$1,145
Population
665,945
902,449
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Boston$1,107
Columbus$1,016
Highways & Roads
Boston$594
Columbus$224
Parks & Recreation
Boston$711
Columbus$2,168
Education
Boston$30,742
Columbus$0
Health
Boston$725
Columbus$0

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

BostonColumbus
Property Tax
$0
$10
Sales Tax
$78
$234
Income Tax
$0
$1
Intergovernmental
$5,357
$0
Charges & Fees
$2,784
$2,389
Other
$4,557
$5,248

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

BostonColumbus
Fire Protection
$1,107
$1,016
Highways & Roads
$594
$224
Education
$30,742
$0
Public Welfare
$1,110
$878
Health
$725
$0
Hospitals
$2,584
$953
Parks & Recreation
$711
$2,168
Housing
$6,614
$4,303
Sewerage
$355
$1
Utilities
$3,402
$1,719
General Admin
$5,401
$0
Other
$18,955
$7,595
C
Boston, MA
Fiscal Health Score: 56/100
Average fiscal health
C
Columbus, OH
Fiscal Health Score: 52/100
Average fiscal health

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