Nashville-Davidson metropolitan government (balance), TN vs Boston, MA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Boston, MA spends 48% more per resident than Nashville-Davidson metropolitan government (balance), TN: $72,299 against $48,948. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Boston, MA holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 56/100 (grade C) against 47/100 (grade D) for Nashville-Davidson metropolitan government (balance), TN — a 9-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
On debt, Boston, MA carries the lighter load at $445 per resident versus $2,292 for Nashville-Davidson metropolitan government (balance), TN. Both cities pour the most per-resident dollars into the same function: education leads in Nashville-Davidson metropolitan government (balance), TN at $21,061 per resident and in Boston, MA at $30,742.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 10% of total revenue in Nashville-Davidson metropolitan government (balance), TN and 17% in Boston, MA.
Summary
Boston spends 32.3% more per capita than Nashville-Davidson metropolitan government (balance) ($23,351/person difference). Boston, MA has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 56/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Sales Tax | $373 | $78 |
| Income Tax | $135 | $0 |
| Intergovernmental | $13,787 | $5,357 |
| Charges & Fees | $2,444 | $2,784 |
| Other | $4,617 | $4,557 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $1,519 | $0 |
| Fire Protection | $468 | $1,107 |
| Highways & Roads | $11 | $594 |
| Education | $21,061 | $30,742 |
| Public Welfare | $738 | $1,110 |
| Health | $672 | $725 |
| Hospitals | $2,100 | $2,584 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,015 | $711 |
| Housing | $4,231 | $6,614 |
| Sewerage | $217 | $355 |
| Utilities | $3,140 | $3,402 |
| Interest on Debt | $1,667 | $0 |
| General Admin | $2,081 | $5,401 |
| Other | $10,028 | $18,955 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.