Boston, MA vs Oakland, CA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Boston, MA outspends Oakland, CA by a wide margin per resident — $72,299 versus $30,055, a 141% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
Oakland, CA holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 72/100 (grade B) against 56/100 (grade C) for Boston, MA — a 16-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
Oakland, CA reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Boston, MA carries $445 per resident. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Boston, MA leads with education at $30,742 per resident, while Oakland, CA leads with health at $1,016.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 17% of total revenue in Boston, MA and 100% in Oakland, CA.
Summary
Boston spends 140.6% more per capita than Oakland ($42,244/person difference). Oakland, CA has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 72/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Sales Tax | $78 | $522 |
| Intergovernmental | $5,357 | $42,277 |
| Charges & Fees | $2,784 | $0 |
| Other | $4,557 | $4,337 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $1,107 | $1 |
| Highways & Roads | $594 | $0 |
| Education | $30,742 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $1,110 | $2,426 |
| Health | $725 | $1,016 |
| Hospitals | $2,584 | $2,498 |
| Parks & Recreation | $711 | $955 |
| Housing | $6,614 | $7,811 |
| Sewerage | $355 | $1,417 |
| Utilities | $3,402 | $0 |
| General Admin | $5,401 | $0 |
| Other | $18,955 | $13,929 |
Compare More Cities
Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.