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

Boston, MA vs Long Beach, CA

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

Summary

Boston spends 111.1% more per capita than Long Beach ($38,049/person difference). Long Beach, CA has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 67/100).

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
Long Beach, CA
Pop. 462,293
B
67/100
Budget Balance52
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency23
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Boston
Long Beach
Total Spending
$48.1B
$15.8B
Spending / Capita
$72,299
$34,250
Total Revenue
$20.8B
$34.9B
Revenue / Capita
$31,243
$75,389
Total Debt
$296.3M
$0
Debt / Capita
$445
$0
Population
665,945
462,293
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Boston$1,107
Long Beach$0
Highways & Roads
Boston$594
Long Beach$0
Parks & Recreation
Boston$711
Long Beach$698
Education
Boston$30,742
Long Beach$0
Health
Boston$725
Long Beach$477

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

BostonLong Beach
Sales Tax
$78
$36
Income Tax
$0
$1,760
Intergovernmental
$5,357
$1,688
Charges & Fees
$2,784
$2,424
Other
$4,557
$8,836

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

BostonLong Beach
Fire Protection
$1,107
$0
Highways & Roads
$594
$0
Education
$30,742
$0
Public Welfare
$1,110
$1,317
Health
$725
$477
Hospitals
$2,584
$2,751
Parks & Recreation
$711
$698
Housing
$6,614
$5,782
Sewerage
$355
$86
Utilities
$3,402
$3,889
Interest on Debt
$0
$2,718
General Admin
$5,401
$0
Other
$18,955
$16,533
C
Boston, MA
Fiscal Health Score: 56/100
Average fiscal health
B
Long Beach, CA
Fiscal Health Score: 67/100
Good fiscal health

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