Oklahoma City, OK vs Boston, MA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Boston, MA outspends Oklahoma City, OK by a wide margin per resident — $72,299 versus $18,074, a 300% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
Oklahoma City, OK holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 65/100 (grade B) against 56/100 (grade C) for Boston, MA — 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 $3,520 for Oklahoma City, OK. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Oklahoma City, OK leads with parks and recreation at $2,014 per resident, while Boston, MA leads with education at $30,742.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 19% of total revenue in Oklahoma City, OK and 17% in Boston, MA.
Summary
Boston spends 75.0% more per capita than Oklahoma City ($54,225/person difference). Oklahoma City, OK has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 65/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Sales Tax | $763 | $78 |
| Income Tax | $1,037 | $0 |
| Intergovernmental | $6,852 | $5,357 |
| Charges & Fees | $3,256 | $2,784 |
| Other | $1,836 | $4,557 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $513 | $1,107 |
| Highways & Roads | $0 | $594 |
| Education | $0 | $30,742 |
| Public Welfare | $1,525 | $1,110 |
| Health | $5 | $725 |
| Hospitals | $2,044 | $2,584 |
| Parks & Recreation | $2,014 | $711 |
| Housing | $2,857 | $6,614 |
| Sewerage | $0 | $355 |
| Utilities | $4,523 | $3,402 |
| Interest on Debt | $707 | $0 |
| General Admin | $0 | $5,401 |
| Other | $3,886 | $18,955 |
Compare More Cities
Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.