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

Boston, MA vs Raleigh, NC

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

Summary

Boston spends 419.7% more per capita than Raleigh ($58,388/person difference). Raleigh, NC has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 76/100).

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
Raleigh, NC
Pop. 465,517
B
76/100
Budget Balance82
Debt Burden68
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity67
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Boston
Raleigh
Total Spending
$48.1B
$6.5B
Spending / Capita
$72,299
$13,911
Total Revenue
$20.8B
$13.9B
Revenue / Capita
$31,243
$29,940
Total Debt
$296.3M
$421.6M
Debt / Capita
$445
$906
Population
665,945
465,517
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Boston$1,107
Raleigh$277
Highways & Roads
Boston$594
Raleigh$448
Parks & Recreation
Boston$711
Raleigh$1,391
Education
Boston$30,742
Raleigh$6
Health
Boston$725
Raleigh$0

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

BostonRaleigh
Sales Tax
$78
$858
Income Tax
$0
$806
Intergovernmental
$5,357
$14,128
Charges & Fees
$2,784
$2,681
Other
$4,557
$4,740

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

BostonRaleigh
Fire Protection
$1,107
$277
Highways & Roads
$594
$448
Education
$30,742
$6
Public Welfare
$1,110
$498
Health
$725
$0
Hospitals
$2,584
$669
Parks & Recreation
$711
$1,391
Housing
$6,614
$2,712
Sewerage
$355
$281
Utilities
$3,402
$2,469
Interest on Debt
$0
$1,513
General Admin
$5,401
$0
Other
$18,955
$3,646
C
Boston, MA
Fiscal Health Score: 56/100
Average fiscal health
B
Raleigh, NC
Fiscal Health Score: 76/100
Good fiscal health

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