Boston, MA vs Jacksonville, FL
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Boston, MA outspends Jacksonville, FL by a wide margin per resident — $72,299 versus $31,456, a 130% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
Boston, MA edges Jacksonville, FL on the Fiscal Health Score by 3 points — 56/100 (grade C) to 53/100 (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 $2,821 for Jacksonville, FL. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Boston, MA leads with education at $30,742 per resident, while Jacksonville, FL leads with fire protection at $9,436.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 17% of total revenue in Boston, MA and 14% in Jacksonville, FL.
Summary
Boston spends 129.8% more per capita than Jacksonville ($40,842/person difference). Boston, MA has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 56/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $0 | $10 |
| Sales Tax | $78 | $233 |
| Income Tax | $0 | $762 |
| Intergovernmental | $5,357 | $7,348 |
| Charges & Fees | $2,784 | $2,119 |
| Other | $4,557 | $4,705 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $0 | $18 |
| Fire Protection | $1,107 | $9,436 |
| Highways & Roads | $594 | $0 |
| Education | $30,742 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $1,110 | $486 |
| Health | $725 | $332 |
| Hospitals | $2,584 | $557 |
| Parks & Recreation | $711 | $1,329 |
| Housing | $6,614 | $5,572 |
| Sewerage | $355 | $176 |
| Utilities | $3,402 | $1,835 |
| Interest on Debt | $0 | $1,942 |
| General Admin | $5,401 | $0 |
| Other | $18,955 | $9,771 |
Compare More Cities
Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.