Boston, MA vs New Bedford, MA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Boston, MA spends 47% more per resident than New Bedford, MA: $72,299 against $49,215. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Boston, MA edges New Bedford, MA on the Fiscal Health Score by 7 points — 56/100 (grade C) to 49/100 (grade D). 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 $506 for New Bedford, MA. Both cities pour the most per-resident dollars into the same function: education leads in Boston, MA at $30,742 per resident and in New Bedford, MA at $31,923.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 17% of total revenue in Boston, MA and 31% in New Bedford, MA.
Summary
Boston spends 46.9% more per capita than New Bedford ($23,083/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)
| Sales Tax | $78 | $123 |
| Income Tax | $0 | $5 |
| Intergovernmental | $5,357 | $7,480 |
| Charges & Fees | $2,784 | $1,982 |
| Other | $4,557 | $4,106 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $1,107 | $252 |
| Highways & Roads | $594 | $886 |
| Education | $30,742 | $31,923 |
| Public Welfare | $1,110 | $708 |
| Health | $725 | $255 |
| Hospitals | $2,584 | $610 |
| Parks & Recreation | $711 | $315 |
| Housing | $6,614 | $2,315 |
| Sewerage | $355 | $99 |
| Utilities | $3,402 | $887 |
| General Admin | $5,401 | $0 |
| Other | $18,955 | $10,966 |
Compare More Cities
Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.