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

Boston, MA vs New York, NY

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

Summary

New York spends 44.0% more per capita than Boston ($56,821/person difference). New York, NY has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 64/100).

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
New York, NY
Pop. 8,622,467
C
64/100
Budget Balance55
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Boston
New York
Total Spending
$48.1B
$1113.3B
Spending / Capita
$72,299
$129,119
Total Revenue
$20.8B
$1271.6B
Revenue / Capita
$31,243
$147,477
Total Debt
$296.3M
$4.0B
Debt / Capita
$445
$462
Population
665,945
8,622,467
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
Boston$0
New York$1,512
Fire Protection
Boston$1,107
New York$11,050
Highways & Roads
Boston$594
New York$221
Parks & Recreation
Boston$711
New York$868
Education
Boston$30,742
New York$37,892
Health
Boston$725
New York$417

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

BostonNew York
Property Tax
$0
$5
Sales Tax
$78
$399
Income Tax
$0
$19
Intergovernmental
$5,357
$20,520
Charges & Fees
$2,784
$1,835
Other
$4,557
$3,593

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

BostonNew York
Police
$0
$1,512
Fire Protection
$1,107
$11,050
Highways & Roads
$594
$221
Education
$30,742
$37,892
Public Welfare
$1,110
$1,116
Health
$725
$417
Hospitals
$2,584
$6,467
Parks & Recreation
$711
$868
Housing
$6,614
$7,137
Sewerage
$355
$315
Utilities
$3,402
$13,371
Interest on Debt
$0
$11,706
General Admin
$5,401
$11,668
Other
$18,955
$25,380
C
Boston, MA
Fiscal Health Score: 56/100
Average fiscal health
C
New York, NY
Fiscal Health Score: 64/100
Average fiscal health

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