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

New Bedford, MA vs Boston, MA

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

Summary

Boston spends 31.9% more per capita than New Bedford ($23,083/person difference). Boston, MA has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 56/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
New Bedford, MA
Pop. 100,620
D
49/100
Budget Balance5
Debt Burden89
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
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
New Bedford
Boston
Total Spending
$5.0B
$48.1B
Spending / Capita
$49,215
$72,299
Total Revenue
$2.4B
$20.8B
Revenue / Capita
$23,972
$31,243
Total Debt
$50.9M
$296.3M
Debt / Capita
$506
$445
Population
100,620
665,945
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
New Bedford$252
Boston$1,107
Highways & Roads
New Bedford$886
Boston$594
Parks & Recreation
New Bedford$315
Boston$711
Education
New Bedford$31,923
Boston$30,742
Health
New Bedford$255
Boston$725

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

New BedfordBoston
Sales Tax
$123
$78
Income Tax
$5
$0
Intergovernmental
$7,480
$5,357
Charges & Fees
$1,982
$2,784
Other
$4,106
$4,557

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

New BedfordBoston
Fire Protection
$252
$1,107
Highways & Roads
$886
$594
Education
$31,923
$30,742
Public Welfare
$708
$1,110
Health
$255
$725
Hospitals
$610
$2,584
Parks & Recreation
$315
$711
Housing
$2,315
$6,614
Sewerage
$99
$355
Utilities
$887
$3,402
General Admin
$0
$5,401
Other
$10,966
$18,955
D
New Bedford, MA
Fiscal Health Score: 49/100
Below average fiscal health
C
Boston, MA
Fiscal Health Score: 56/100
Average fiscal health

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