Boston, MA vs Wichita, KS
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Boston, MA outspends Wichita, KS by a wide margin per resident — $72,299 versus $7,986, a 805% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
Wichita, KS holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 90/100 (grade A) against 56/100 (grade C) for Boston, MA — a 34-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
On debt, Wichita, KS carries the lighter load at $132 per resident versus $445 for Boston, MA. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Boston, MA leads with education at $30,742 per resident, while Wichita, KS leads with parks and recreation at $874.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 17% of total revenue in Boston, MA and 14% in Wichita, KS.
Summary
Boston spends 805.3% more per capita than Wichita ($64,313/person difference). Wichita, KS has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 90/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Sales Tax | $78 | $246 |
| Income Tax | $0 | $57 |
| Intergovernmental | $5,357 | $3,895 |
| Charges & Fees | $2,784 | $3,193 |
| Other | $4,557 | $2,783 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $1,107 | $152 |
| Highways & Roads | $594 | $126 |
| Education | $30,742 | $2 |
| Public Welfare | $1,110 | $441 |
| Health | $725 | $254 |
| Hospitals | $2,584 | $113 |
| Parks & Recreation | $711 | $874 |
| Housing | $6,614 | $2,618 |
| Sewerage | $355 | $0 |
| Utilities | $3,402 | $1,225 |
| Interest on Debt | $0 | $70 |
| General Admin | $5,401 | $0 |
| Other | $18,955 | $2,111 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.