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

Charlotte, NC vs Boston, MA

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

Summary

Boston spends 78.1% more per capita than Charlotte ($56,445/person difference). Charlotte, NC has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 63/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
Charlotte, NC
Pop. 875,045
C
63/100
Budget Balance71
Debt Burden0
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
City B
Boston, MA
Pop. 665,945
C
56/100
Budget Balance25
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Charlotte
Boston
Total Spending
$13.9B
$48.1B
Spending / Capita
$15,854
$72,299
Total Revenue
$43.5B
$20.8B
Revenue / Capita
$49,746
$31,243
Total Debt
$2.4B
$296.3M
Debt / Capita
$2,690
$445
Population
875,045
665,945
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Charlotte$463
Boston$1,107
Highways & Roads
Charlotte$41
Boston$594
Parks & Recreation
Charlotte$1,571
Boston$711
Education
Charlotte$0
Boston$30,742
Health
Charlotte$0
Boston$725

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

CharlotteBoston
Sales Tax
$541
$78
Income Tax
$366
$0
Intergovernmental
$1,859
$5,357
Charges & Fees
$2,459
$2,784
Other
$4,866
$4,557

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

CharlotteBoston
Fire Protection
$463
$1,107
Highways & Roads
$41
$594
Education
$0
$30,742
Public Welfare
$672
$1,110
Health
$0
$725
Hospitals
$1,243
$2,584
Parks & Recreation
$1,571
$711
Housing
$3,944
$6,614
Sewerage
$0
$355
Utilities
$2,244
$3,402
Interest on Debt
$2,226
$0
General Admin
$0
$5,401
Other
$3,448
$18,955
C
Charlotte, NC
Fiscal Health Score: 63/100
Average fiscal health
C
Boston, MA
Fiscal Health Score: 56/100
Average fiscal health

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