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

Cambridge, MA vs New Bedford, MA

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

Summary

Cambridge spends 165.6% more per capita than New Bedford ($81,521/person difference). Cambridge, MA has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 56/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
Cambridge, MA
Pop. 117,962
C
56/100
Budget Balance24
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
City B
New Bedford, MA
Pop. 100,620
D
49/100
Budget Balance5
Debt Burden89
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Cambridge
New Bedford
Total Spending
$15.4B
$5.0B
Spending / Capita
$130,737
$49,215
Total Revenue
$5.1B
$2.4B
Revenue / Capita
$43,440
$23,972
Total Debt
$49.6M
$50.9M
Debt / Capita
$420
$506
Population
117,962
100,620
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Cambridge$672
New Bedford$252
Highways & Roads
Cambridge$467
New Bedford$886
Parks & Recreation
Cambridge$2,179
New Bedford$315
Education
Cambridge$25,601
New Bedford$31,923
Health
Cambridge$998
New Bedford$255

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

CambridgeNew Bedford
Sales Tax
$1,121
$123
Income Tax
$0
$5
Intergovernmental
$7,117
$7,480
Charges & Fees
$1,585
$1,982
Other
$6,370
$4,106

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

CambridgeNew Bedford
Fire Protection
$672
$252
Highways & Roads
$467
$886
Education
$25,601
$31,923
Public Welfare
$737
$708
Health
$998
$255
Hospitals
$508
$610
Parks & Recreation
$2,179
$315
Housing
$4,715
$2,315
Sewerage
$1,718
$99
Utilities
$2,291
$887
General Admin
$76,486
$0
Other
$14,364
$10,966
C
Cambridge, MA
Fiscal Health Score: 56/100
Average fiscal health
D
New Bedford, MA
Fiscal Health Score: 49/100
Below average fiscal health

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