Boston, MA vs Lowell, MA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Summary
Boston spends 49.2% more per capita than Lowell ($23,841/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
C
50/100
Budget Balance3
Debt Burden94
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
Key Metrics
Metric
Boston
Lowell
Total Spending
$48.1B
$5.6B
Spending / Capita
$72,299
$48,457
Total Revenue
$20.8B
$3.1B
Revenue / Capita
$31,243
$27,222
Total Debt
$296.3M
$53.9M
Debt / Capita
$445
$470
Population
665,945
114,737
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0
Per Capita Spending by Department
Fire Protection
Boston$1,107
Lowell$194
Highways & Roads
Boston$594
Lowell$182
Parks & Recreation
Boston$711
Lowell$292
Education
Boston$30,742
Lowell$31,397
Health
Boston$725
Lowell$139
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
BostonLowell
| Sales Tax | $78 | $639 |
| Income Tax | $0 | $274 |
| Intergovernmental | $5,357 | $4,160 |
| Charges & Fees | $2,784 | $1,061 |
| Other | $4,557 | $2,654 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
BostonLowell
| Fire Protection | $1,107 | $194 |
| Highways & Roads | $594 | $182 |
| Education | $30,742 | $31,397 |
| Public Welfare | $1,110 | $349 |
| Health | $725 | $139 |
| Hospitals | $2,584 | $425 |
| Parks & Recreation | $711 | $292 |
| Housing | $6,614 | $2,733 |
| Sewerage | $355 | $126 |
| Utilities | $3,402 | $1,234 |
| General Admin | $5,401 | $0 |
| Other | $18,955 | $11,388 |
C
Boston, MA
Fiscal Health Score: 56/100
Average fiscal health
C
Lowell, MA
Fiscal Health Score: 50/100
Average fiscal health