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

Boston, MA vs Portland, OR

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

Summary

Boston spends 205.4% more per capita than Portland ($48,624/person difference). Portland, OR has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 63/100).

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
Portland, OR
Pop. 646,101
C
63/100
Budget Balance83
Debt Burden7
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency72
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Boston
Portland
Total Spending
$48.1B
$15.3B
Spending / Capita
$72,299
$23,675
Total Revenue
$20.8B
$31.0B
Revenue / Capita
$31,243
$47,970
Total Debt
$296.3M
$1.0B
Debt / Capita
$445
$1,574
Population
665,945
646,101
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Boston$1,107
Portland$1,700
Highways & Roads
Boston$594
Portland$139
Parks & Recreation
Boston$711
Portland$2,477
Education
Boston$30,742
Portland$0
Health
Boston$725
Portland$0

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

BostonPortland
Sales Tax
$78
$1,695
Income Tax
$0
$130
Intergovernmental
$5,357
$8,979
Charges & Fees
$2,784
$3,883
Other
$4,557
$7,916

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

BostonPortland
Fire Protection
$1,107
$1,700
Highways & Roads
$594
$139
Education
$30,742
$0
Public Welfare
$1,110
$3,607
Health
$725
$0
Hospitals
$2,584
$2,893
Parks & Recreation
$711
$2,477
Housing
$6,614
$3,694
Sewerage
$355
$630
Utilities
$3,402
$1,845
General Admin
$5,401
$0
Other
$18,955
$6,689
C
Boston, MA
Fiscal Health Score: 56/100
Average fiscal health
C
Portland, OR
Fiscal Health Score: 63/100
Average fiscal health

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