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

Boston, MA vs Fresno, CA

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

Summary

Boston spends 66.6% more per capita than Fresno ($28,912/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
Fresno, CA
Pop. 541,528
C
50/100
Budget Balance0
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Boston
Fresno
Total Spending
$48.1B
$23.5B
Spending / Capita
$72,299
$43,387
Total Revenue
$20.8B
$6.0B
Revenue / Capita
$31,243
$10,998
Total Debt
$296.3M
$0
Debt / Capita
$445
$0
Population
665,945
541,528
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
Boston$0
Fresno$3,261
Fire Protection
Boston$1,107
Fresno$568
Highways & Roads
Boston$594
Fresno$0
Parks & Recreation
Boston$711
Fresno$76
Education
Boston$30,742
Fresno$3,942
Health
Boston$725
Fresno$599

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

BostonFresno
Property Tax
$0
$337
Sales Tax
$78
$19
Income Tax
$0
$501
Intergovernmental
$5,357
-$4,470
Charges & Fees
$2,784
$11
Other
$4,557
$2,070

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

BostonFresno
Police
$0
$3,261
Fire Protection
$1,107
$568
Highways & Roads
$594
$0
Education
$30,742
$3,942
Public Welfare
$1,110
$1,946
Health
$725
$599
Hospitals
$2,584
$0
Parks & Recreation
$711
$76
Housing
$6,614
$2,856
Sewerage
$355
$0
Utilities
$3,402
$15,340
Interest on Debt
$0
$255
General Admin
$5,401
$0
Other
$18,955
$14,545
C
Boston, MA
Fiscal Health Score: 56/100
Average fiscal health
C
Fresno, CA
Fiscal Health Score: 50/100
Average fiscal health

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