Boston, MA vs Seattle, WA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Summary
Boston spends 109.8% more per capita than Seattle ($37,836/person difference). Seattle, WA has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 61/100).
Fiscal Health Score
C
56/100
Budget Balance25
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
C
61/100
Budget Balance69
Debt Burden50
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency22
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
Key Metrics
Metric
Boston
Seattle
Total Spending
$48.1B
$25.3B
Spending / Capita
$72,299
$34,463
Total Revenue
$20.8B
$56.5B
Revenue / Capita
$31,243
$76,958
Total Debt
$296.3M
$808.1M
Debt / Capita
$445
$1,100
Population
665,945
734,603
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0
Per Capita Spending by Department
Fire Protection
Boston$1,107
Seattle$210
Highways & Roads
Boston$594
Seattle$0
Parks & Recreation
Boston$711
Seattle$3,923
Education
Boston$30,742
Seattle$1,461
Health
Boston$725
Seattle$1,131
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
BostonSeattle
| Property Tax | $0 | $1,831 |
| Sales Tax | $78 | $1,094 |
| Income Tax | $0 | $3,496 |
| Intergovernmental | $5,357 | $9,846 |
| Charges & Fees | $2,784 | $3,960 |
| Other | $4,557 | $8,544 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
BostonSeattle
| Fire Protection | $1,107 | $210 |
| Highways & Roads | $594 | $0 |
| Education | $30,742 | $1,461 |
| Public Welfare | $1,110 | $3,439 |
| Health | $725 | $1,131 |
| Hospitals | $2,584 | $1,871 |
| Parks & Recreation | $711 | $3,923 |
| Housing | $6,614 | $3,727 |
| Sewerage | $355 | $952 |
| Utilities | $3,402 | $6,489 |
| General Admin | $5,401 | $0 |
| Other | $18,955 | $11,260 |
C
Boston, MA
Fiscal Health Score: 56/100
Average fiscal health
C
Seattle, WA
Fiscal Health Score: 61/100
Average fiscal health