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

Boston, MA vs Oakland, CA

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

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

City A
Boston, MA
Pop. 665,945
C
56/100
Budget Balance25
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
City B
Oakland, CA
Pop. 437,825
B
72/100
Budget Balance100
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency43
Revenue Diversity0
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Boston
Oakland
Total Spending
$48.1B
$13.2B
Spending / Capita
$72,299
$30,055
Total Revenue
$20.8B
$18.5B
Revenue / Capita
$31,243
$42,277
Total Debt
$296.3M
$0
Debt / Capita
$445
$0
Population
665,945
437,825
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Boston$1,107
Oakland$1
Highways & Roads
Boston$594
Oakland$0
Parks & Recreation
Boston$711
Oakland$955
Education
Boston$30,742
Oakland$0
Health
Boston$725
Oakland$1,016

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

BostonOakland
Sales Tax
$78
$522
Intergovernmental
$5,357
$42,277
Charges & Fees
$2,784
$0
Other
$4,557
$4,337

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

BostonOakland
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
C
Boston, MA
Fiscal Health Score: 56/100
Average fiscal health
B
Oakland, CA
Fiscal Health Score: 72/100
Good fiscal health

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