Cambridge, MA vs Boston, MA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Summary
Cambridge spends 80.8% more per capita than Boston ($58,438/person difference). Both cities share the same Fiscal Health Score.
Fiscal Health Score
C
56/100
Budget Balance24
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
C
56/100
Budget Balance25
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
Key Metrics
Metric
Cambridge
Boston
Total Spending
$15.4B
$48.1B
Spending / Capita
$130,737
$72,299
Total Revenue
$5.1B
$20.8B
Revenue / Capita
$43,440
$31,243
Total Debt
$49.6M
$296.3M
Debt / Capita
$420
$445
Population
117,962
665,945
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0
Per Capita Spending by Department
Fire Protection
Cambridge$672
Boston$1,107
Highways & Roads
Cambridge$467
Boston$594
Parks & Recreation
Cambridge$2,179
Boston$711
Education
Cambridge$25,601
Boston$30,742
Health
Cambridge$998
Boston$725
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
CambridgeBoston
| Sales Tax | $1,121 | $78 |
| Intergovernmental | $7,117 | $5,357 |
| Charges & Fees | $1,585 | $2,784 |
| Other | $6,370 | $4,557 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
CambridgeBoston
| Fire Protection | $672 | $1,107 |
| Highways & Roads | $467 | $594 |
| Education | $25,601 | $30,742 |
| Public Welfare | $737 | $1,110 |
| Health | $998 | $725 |
| Hospitals | $508 | $2,584 |
| Parks & Recreation | $2,179 | $711 |
| Housing | $4,715 | $6,614 |
| Sewerage | $1,718 | $355 |
| Utilities | $2,291 | $3,402 |
| General Admin | $76,486 | $5,401 |
| Other | $14,364 | $18,955 |
C
Cambridge, MA
Fiscal Health Score: 56/100
Average fiscal health
C
Boston, MA
Fiscal Health Score: 56/100
Average fiscal health