Detroit, MI vs Boston, MA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Summary
Boston spends 57.0% more per capita than Detroit ($41,211/person difference). Detroit, MI has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 69/100).
Fiscal Health Score
B
69/100
Budget Balance70
Debt Burden79
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency38
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
C
56/100
Budget Balance25
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
Key Metrics
Metric
Detroit
Boston
Total Spending
$19.8B
$48.1B
Spending / Capita
$31,087
$72,299
Total Revenue
$28.4B
$20.8B
Revenue / Capita
$44,533
$31,243
Total Debt
$493.9M
$296.3M
Debt / Capita
$776
$445
Population
636,787
665,945
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0
Per Capita Spending by Department
Fire Protection
Detroit$2,429
Boston$1,107
Highways & Roads
Detroit$0
Boston$594
Parks & Recreation
Detroit$950
Boston$711
Education
Detroit$0
Boston$30,742
Health
Detroit$396
Boston$725
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
DetroitBoston
| Property Tax | $44 | $0 |
| Sales Tax | $200 | $78 |
| Income Tax | $1,045 | $0 |
| Intergovernmental | $291 | $5,357 |
| Charges & Fees | $2,228 | $2,784 |
| Other | $6,892 | $4,557 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
DetroitBoston
| Fire Protection | $2,429 | $1,107 |
| Highways & Roads | $0 | $594 |
| Education | $0 | $30,742 |
| Public Welfare | $833 | $1,110 |
| Health | $396 | $725 |
| Hospitals | $2,217 | $2,584 |
| Parks & Recreation | $950 | $711 |
| Housing | $5,791 | $6,614 |
| Sewerage | $451 | $355 |
| Utilities | $2,737 | $3,402 |
| Interest on Debt | $2,068 | $0 |
| General Admin | $0 | $5,401 |
| Other | $13,216 | $18,955 |
B
Detroit, MI
Fiscal Health Score: 69/100
Good fiscal health
C
Boston, MA
Fiscal Health Score: 56/100
Average fiscal health