Boston, MA vs Tulsa, OK
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Boston, MA outspends Tulsa, OK by a wide margin per resident — $72,299 versus $5,250, a 1277% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
On the CitySpend Fiscal Health Score the two are level: Boston, MA and Tulsa, OK both land at 56/100 (grade C and C respectively), so the deciding factors sit in the underlying six-factor breakdown rather than the rolled-up grade.
Tulsa, OK reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Boston, MA carries $445 per resident. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Boston, MA leads with education at $30,742 per resident, while Tulsa, OK leads with health at $762.
Summary
Boston spends 1277.1% more per capita than Tulsa ($67,048/person difference). Both cities share the same Fiscal Health Score.
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Sales Tax | $78 | $97 |
| Intergovernmental | $5,357 | $0 |
| Charges & Fees | $2,784 | $0 |
| Other | $4,557 | $53 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $0 | $628 |
| Fire Protection | $1,107 | $196 |
| Highways & Roads | $594 | $257 |
| Education | $30,742 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $1,110 | $86 |
| Health | $725 | $762 |
| Hospitals | $2,584 | $0 |
| Parks & Recreation | $711 | $154 |
| Housing | $6,614 | $350 |
| Sewerage | $355 | $27 |
| Utilities | $3,402 | $41 |
| General Admin | $5,401 | $0 |
| Other | $18,955 | $2,748 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.