Boston, MA vs Detroit, MI
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Summary
Boston spends 132.6% more per capita than Detroit ($41,211/person difference). Detroit, MI has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 69/100).
Fiscal Health Score
C
56/100
Budget Balance25
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
B
69/100
Budget Balance70
Debt Burden79
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency38
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
Key Metrics
Metric
Boston
Detroit
Total Spending
$48.1B
$19.8B
Spending / Capita
$72,299
$31,087
Total Revenue
$20.8B
$28.4B
Revenue / Capita
$31,243
$44,533
Total Debt
$296.3M
$493.9M
Debt / Capita
$445
$776
Population
665,945
636,787
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0
Per Capita Spending by Department
Fire Protection
Boston$1,107
Detroit$2,429
Highways & Roads
Boston$594
Detroit$0
Parks & Recreation
Boston$711
Detroit$950
Education
Boston$30,742
Detroit$0
Health
Boston$725
Detroit$396
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
BostonDetroit
| Property Tax | $0 | $44 |
| Sales Tax | $78 | $200 |
| Income Tax | $0 | $1,045 |
| Intergovernmental | $5,357 | $291 |
| Charges & Fees | $2,784 | $2,228 |
| Other | $4,557 | $6,892 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
BostonDetroit
| Fire Protection | $1,107 | $2,429 |
| Highways & Roads | $594 | $0 |
| Education | $30,742 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $1,110 | $833 |
| Health | $725 | $396 |
| Hospitals | $2,584 | $2,217 |
| Parks & Recreation | $711 | $950 |
| Housing | $6,614 | $5,791 |
| Sewerage | $355 | $451 |
| Utilities | $3,402 | $2,737 |
| Interest on Debt | $0 | $2,068 |
| General Admin | $5,401 | $0 |
| Other | $18,955 | $13,216 |
C
Boston, MA
Fiscal Health Score: 56/100
Average fiscal health
B
Detroit, MI
Fiscal Health Score: 69/100
Good fiscal health