Boston, MA vs Los Angeles, CA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Summary
Los Angeles spends 15.4% more per capita than Boston ($13,134/person difference). Boston, MA has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 56/100).
Fiscal Health Score
C
56/100
Budget Balance25
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
D
47/100
Budget Balance0
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
Revenue Diversity65
Trend Direction50
Key Metrics
Metric
Boston
Los Angeles
Total Spending
$48.1B
$331.6B
Spending / Capita
$72,299
$85,432
Total Revenue
$20.8B
$68.3B
Revenue / Capita
$31,243
$17,595
Total Debt
$296.3M
$0
Debt / Capita
$445
$0
Population
665,945
3,881,041
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0
Per Capita Spending by Department
Police
Boston$0
Los Angeles$4,111
Fire Protection
Boston$1,107
Los Angeles$1,057
Highways & Roads
Boston$594
Los Angeles$503
Parks & Recreation
Boston$711
Los Angeles$1,347
Education
Boston$30,742
Los Angeles$829
Health
Boston$725
Los Angeles$409
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
BostonLos Angeles
| Property Tax | $0 | $64 |
| Sales Tax | $78 | $77 |
| Income Tax | $0 | $307 |
| Intergovernmental | $5,357 | $134 |
| Charges & Fees | $2,784 | $459 |
| Other | $4,557 | $9,048 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
BostonLos Angeles
| Police | $0 | $4,111 |
| Fire Protection | $1,107 | $1,057 |
| Highways & Roads | $594 | $503 |
| Education | $30,742 | $829 |
| Public Welfare | $1,110 | $1,286 |
| Health | $725 | $409 |
| Hospitals | $2,584 | $2,135 |
| Parks & Recreation | $711 | $1,347 |
| Housing | $6,614 | $6,325 |
| Sewerage | $355 | $34 |
| Utilities | $3,402 | $21,992 |
| Interest on Debt | $0 | $630 |
| General Admin | $5,401 | $11,586 |
| Other | $18,955 | $33,189 |
C
Boston, MA
Fiscal Health Score: 56/100
Average fiscal health
D
Los Angeles, CA
Fiscal Health Score: 47/100
Below average fiscal health