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

New York, NY vs Boston, MA

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

Summary

New York spends 78.6% more per capita than Boston ($56,821/person difference). New York, NY has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 64/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
New York, NY
Pop. 8,622,467
C
64/100
Budget Balance55
Debt Burden100
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 York
Boston
Total Spending
$1113.3B
$48.1B
Spending / Capita
$129,119
$72,299
Total Revenue
$1271.6B
$20.8B
Revenue / Capita
$147,477
$31,243
Total Debt
$4.0B
$296.3M
Debt / Capita
$462
$445
Population
8,622,467
665,945
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
New York$1,512
Boston$0
Fire Protection
New York$11,050
Boston$1,107
Highways & Roads
New York$221
Boston$594
Parks & Recreation
New York$868
Boston$711
Education
New York$37,892
Boston$30,742
Health
New York$417
Boston$725

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

New YorkBoston
Property Tax
$5
$0
Sales Tax
$399
$78
Income Tax
$19
$0
Intergovernmental
$20,520
$5,357
Charges & Fees
$1,835
$2,784
Other
$3,593
$4,557

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

New YorkBoston
Police
$1,512
$0
Fire Protection
$11,050
$1,107
Highways & Roads
$221
$594
Education
$37,892
$30,742
Public Welfare
$1,116
$1,110
Health
$417
$725
Hospitals
$6,467
$2,584
Parks & Recreation
$868
$711
Housing
$7,137
$6,614
Sewerage
$315
$355
Utilities
$13,371
$3,402
Interest on Debt
$11,706
$0
General Admin
$11,668
$5,401
Other
$25,380
$18,955
C
New York, NY
Fiscal Health Score: 64/100
Average fiscal health
C
Boston, MA
Fiscal Health Score: 56/100
Average fiscal health

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