Boston, MA vs San Francisco, CA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Summary
San Francisco spends 60.7% more per capita than Boston ($111,832/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
48/100
Budget Balance70
Debt Burden0
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
Key Metrics
Metric
Boston
San Francisco
Total Spending
$48.1B
$156.7B
Spending / Capita
$72,299
$184,131
Total Revenue
$20.8B
$232.3B
Revenue / Capita
$31,243
$272,907
Total Debt
$296.3M
$1.7B
Debt / Capita
$445
$2,031
Population
665,945
851,036
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0
Per Capita Spending by Department
Police
Boston$0
San Francisco$3,351
Fire Protection
Boston$1,107
San Francisco$2,281
Highways & Roads
Boston$594
San Francisco$0
Parks & Recreation
Boston$711
San Francisco$4,119
Education
Boston$30,742
San Francisco$0
Health
Boston$725
San Francisco$1,911
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
BostonSan Francisco
| Property Tax | $0 | $148 |
| Sales Tax | $78 | $3,028 |
| Income Tax | $0 | $269 |
| Intergovernmental | $5,357 | $19,762 |
| Charges & Fees | $2,784 | $7,961 |
| Other | $4,557 | $18,918 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
BostonSan Francisco
| Police | $0 | $3,351 |
| Fire Protection | $1,107 | $2,281 |
| Highways & Roads | $594 | $0 |
| Education | $30,742 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $1,110 | $2,203 |
| Health | $725 | $1,911 |
| Hospitals | $2,584 | $6,939 |
| Parks & Recreation | $711 | $4,119 |
| Housing | $6,614 | $9,315 |
| Sewerage | $355 | $1,423 |
| Utilities | $3,402 | $21,190 |
| Interest on Debt | $0 | $22,798 |
| General Admin | $5,401 | $14,899 |
| Other | $18,955 | $93,702 |
C
Boston, MA
Fiscal Health Score: 56/100
Average fiscal health
D
San Francisco, CA
Fiscal Health Score: 48/100
Below average fiscal health