Cambridge, MA vs Lowell, MA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Summary
Cambridge spends 169.8% more per capita than Lowell ($82,279/person difference). Cambridge, MA has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 56/100).
Fiscal Health Score
C
56/100
Budget Balance24
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
C
50/100
Budget Balance3
Debt Burden94
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
Key Metrics
Metric
Cambridge
Lowell
Total Spending
$15.4B
$5.6B
Spending / Capita
$130,737
$48,457
Total Revenue
$5.1B
$3.1B
Revenue / Capita
$43,440
$27,222
Total Debt
$49.6M
$53.9M
Debt / Capita
$420
$470
Population
117,962
114,737
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0
Per Capita Spending by Department
Fire Protection
Cambridge$672
Lowell$194
Highways & Roads
Cambridge$467
Lowell$182
Parks & Recreation
Cambridge$2,179
Lowell$292
Education
Cambridge$25,601
Lowell$31,397
Health
Cambridge$998
Lowell$139
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
CambridgeLowell
| Sales Tax | $1,121 | $639 |
| Income Tax | $0 | $274 |
| Intergovernmental | $7,117 | $4,160 |
| Charges & Fees | $1,585 | $1,061 |
| Other | $6,370 | $2,654 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
CambridgeLowell
| Fire Protection | $672 | $194 |
| Highways & Roads | $467 | $182 |
| Education | $25,601 | $31,397 |
| Public Welfare | $737 | $349 |
| Health | $998 | $139 |
| Hospitals | $508 | $425 |
| Parks & Recreation | $2,179 | $292 |
| Housing | $4,715 | $2,733 |
| Sewerage | $1,718 | $126 |
| Utilities | $2,291 | $1,234 |
| General Admin | $76,486 | $0 |
| Other | $14,364 | $11,388 |
C
Cambridge, MA
Fiscal Health Score: 56/100
Average fiscal health
C
Lowell, MA
Fiscal Health Score: 50/100
Average fiscal health