Chicago, IL vs Boston, MA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Summary
Boston spends 52.2% more per capita than Chicago ($37,747/person difference). Chicago, IL has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 61/100).
Fiscal Health Score
C
61/100
Budget Balance100
Debt Burden61
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency22
Revenue Diversity0
Trend Direction50
C
56/100
Budget Balance25
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
Key Metrics
Metric
Chicago
Boston
Total Spending
$94.0B
$48.1B
Spending / Capita
$34,551
$72,299
Total Revenue
$231.6B
$20.8B
Revenue / Capita
$85,083
$31,243
Total Debt
$2.7B
$296.3M
Debt / Capita
$977
$445
Population
2,721,914
665,945
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0
Per Capita Spending by Department
Fire Protection
Chicago$10,754
Boston$1,107
Highways & Roads
Chicago$930
Boston$594
Parks & Recreation
Chicago$122
Boston$711
Education
Chicago$0
Boston$30,742
Health
Chicago$426
Boston$725
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
ChicagoBoston
| Property Tax | $26 | $0 |
| Sales Tax | $74 | $78 |
| Income Tax | $229 | $0 |
| Intergovernmental | $85,083 | $5,357 |
| Charges & Fees | $2,847 | $2,784 |
| Other | $3,463 | $4,557 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
ChicagoBoston
| Fire Protection | $10,754 | $1,107 |
| Highways & Roads | $930 | $594 |
| Education | $0 | $30,742 |
| Public Welfare | $1,858 | $1,110 |
| Health | $426 | $725 |
| Hospitals | $1,444 | $2,584 |
| Parks & Recreation | $122 | $711 |
| Housing | $6,520 | $6,614 |
| Sewerage | $129 | $355 |
| Utilities | $2,983 | $3,402 |
| General Admin | $0 | $5,401 |
| Other | $9,385 | $18,955 |
C
Chicago, IL
Fiscal Health Score: 61/100
Average fiscal health
C
Boston, MA
Fiscal Health Score: 56/100
Average fiscal health