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

Boston, MA vs Worcester, MA

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

Summary

Boston spends 71.9% more per capita than Worcester ($30,250/person difference). Worcester, MA has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 58/100).

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
Worcester, MA
Pop. 204,191
C
58/100
Budget Balance36
Debt Burden95
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Boston
Worcester
Total Spending
$48.1B
$8.6B
Spending / Capita
$72,299
$42,049
Total Revenue
$20.8B
$9.2B
Revenue / Capita
$31,243
$45,275
Total Debt
$296.3M
$93.0M
Debt / Capita
$445
$456
Population
665,945
204,191
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Boston$1,107
Worcester$186
Highways & Roads
Boston$594
Worcester$163
Parks & Recreation
Boston$711
Worcester$461
Education
Boston$30,742
Worcester$28,887
Health
Boston$725
Worcester$349

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

BostonWorcester
Sales Tax
$78
$457
Income Tax
$0
$231
Intergovernmental
$5,357
$4,140
Charges & Fees
$2,784
$1,465
Other
$4,557
$3,233

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

BostonWorcester
Fire Protection
$1,107
$186
Highways & Roads
$594
$163
Education
$30,742
$28,887
Public Welfare
$1,110
$889
Health
$725
$349
Hospitals
$2,584
$534
Parks & Recreation
$711
$461
Housing
$6,614
$2,901
Sewerage
$355
$209
Utilities
$3,402
$1,046
General Admin
$5,401
$0
Other
$18,955
$6,424
C
Boston, MA
Fiscal Health Score: 56/100
Average fiscal health
C
Worcester, MA
Fiscal Health Score: 58/100
Average fiscal health

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