San Diego, CA vs Boston, MA

Boston, MA outspends San Diego, CA by a wide margin per resident — $72,299 versus $43,306, a 67% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.

Boston, MA edges San Diego, CA on the Fiscal Health Score by 3 points — 56/100 (grade C) to 53/100 (grade C). At a margin this narrow the grade is close enough that the factor-level detail matters more than the composite.

San Diego, CA reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Boston, MA carries $445 per resident. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: San Diego, CA leads with police at $3,335 per resident, while Boston, MA leads with education at $30,742.

They also fund themselves differently: other revenue is the largest single revenue source in San Diego, CA at 39% of total revenue, whereas Boston, MA relies most on intergovernmental transfers at 17%.