Boston, MA vs Philadelphia, PA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Summary
Boston spends 28.5% more per capita than Philadelphia ($16,027/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
D
45/100
Budget Balance17
Debt Burden53
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
Key Metrics
Metric
Boston
Philadelphia
Total Spending
$48.1B
$89.7B
Spending / Capita
$72,299
$56,272
Total Revenue
$20.8B
$64.4B
Revenue / Capita
$31,243
$40,425
Total Debt
$296.3M
$1.7B
Debt / Capita
$445
$1,069
Population
665,945
1,593,208
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0
Per Capita Spending by Department
Police
Boston$0
Philadelphia$1,505
Fire Protection
Boston$1,107
Philadelphia$7,082
Highways & Roads
Boston$594
Philadelphia$1,215
Parks & Recreation
Boston$711
Philadelphia$593
Education
Boston$30,742
Philadelphia$0
Health
Boston$725
Philadelphia$229
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
BostonPhiladelphia
| Sales Tax | $78 | $107 |
| Income Tax | $0 | $8 |
| Intergovernmental | $5,357 | $6,288 |
| Charges & Fees | $2,784 | $2,790 |
| Other | $4,557 | $4,029 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
BostonPhiladelphia
| Police | $0 | $1,505 |
| Fire Protection | $1,107 | $7,082 |
| Highways & Roads | $594 | $1,215 |
| Education | $30,742 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $1,110 | $1,456 |
| Health | $725 | $229 |
| Hospitals | $2,584 | $4,048 |
| Parks & Recreation | $711 | $593 |
| Housing | $6,614 | $4,902 |
| Sewerage | $355 | $325 |
| Utilities | $3,402 | $4,222 |
| Interest on Debt | $0 | $3 |
| General Admin | $5,401 | $0 |
| Other | $18,955 | $30,692 |
C
Boston, MA
Fiscal Health Score: 56/100
Average fiscal health
D
Philadelphia, PA
Fiscal Health Score: 45/100
Below average fiscal health