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

Boston, MA vs San Jose, CA

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

Summary

Boston spends 303.1% more per capita than San Jose ($54,364/person difference). San Jose, CA has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 90/100).

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
San Jose, CA
Pop. 1,001,176
A
90/100
Budget Balance100
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency98
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Boston
San Jose
Total Spending
$48.1B
$18.0B
Spending / Capita
$72,299
$17,934
Total Revenue
$20.8B
$38.1B
Revenue / Capita
$31,243
$38,091
Total Debt
$296.3M
$0
Debt / Capita
$445
$0
Population
665,945
1,001,176
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Boston$1,107
San Jose$0
Highways & Roads
Boston$594
San Jose$0
Parks & Recreation
Boston$711
San Jose$1,424
Education
Boston$30,742
San Jose$0
Health
Boston$725
San Jose$609

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

BostonSan Jose
Property Tax
$0
$40
Sales Tax
$78
$315
Income Tax
$0
$1,935
Intergovernmental
$5,357
$2,680
Charges & Fees
$2,784
$608
Other
$4,557
$3,519

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

BostonSan Jose
Fire Protection
$1,107
$0
Highways & Roads
$594
$0
Education
$30,742
$0
Public Welfare
$1,110
$810
Health
$725
$609
Hospitals
$2,584
$1,254
Parks & Recreation
$711
$1,424
Housing
$6,614
$4,897
Sewerage
$355
$161
Utilities
$3,402
$2,533
General Admin
$5,401
$0
Other
$18,955
$6,247
C
Boston, MA
Fiscal Health Score: 56/100
Average fiscal health
A
San Jose, CA
Fiscal Health Score: 90/100
Excellent fiscal health

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