Boston, MA vs Dallas, TX
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Boston, MA outspends Dallas, TX by a wide margin per resident — $72,299 versus $34,849, a 107% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
Dallas, TX edges Boston, MA on the Fiscal Health Score by 1 points — 57/100 (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.
Dallas, TX reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Boston, MA carries $445 per resident. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Boston, MA leads with education at $30,742 per resident, while Dallas, TX leads with police at $1,519.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 17% of total revenue in Boston, MA and 22% in Dallas, TX.
Summary
Boston spends 107.5% more per capita than Dallas ($37,450/person difference). Dallas, TX has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 57/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $0 | $9 |
| Sales Tax | $78 | $25 |
| Intergovernmental | $5,357 | $1,223 |
| Charges & Fees | $2,784 | $0 |
| Other | $4,557 | $584 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $0 | $1,519 |
| Fire Protection | $1,107 | $305 |
| Highways & Roads | $594 | $201 |
| Education | $30,742 | $62 |
| Public Welfare | $1,110 | $215 |
| Health | $725 | $0 |
| Hospitals | $2,584 | $385 |
| Parks & Recreation | $711 | $0 |
| Housing | $6,614 | $444 |
| Sewerage | $355 | $0 |
| Utilities | $3,402 | $833 |
| General Admin | $5,401 | $25,827 |
| Other | $18,955 | $5,059 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.