San Francisco, CA vs Boston, MA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Summary
San Francisco spends 154.7% more per capita than Boston ($111,832/person difference). Boston, MA has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 56/100).
Fiscal Health Score
D
48/100
Budget Balance70
Debt Burden0
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
C
56/100
Budget Balance25
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
Key Metrics
Metric
San Francisco
Boston
Total Spending
$156.7B
$48.1B
Spending / Capita
$184,131
$72,299
Total Revenue
$232.3B
$20.8B
Revenue / Capita
$272,907
$31,243
Total Debt
$1.7B
$296.3M
Debt / Capita
$2,031
$445
Population
851,036
665,945
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0
Per Capita Spending by Department
Police
San Francisco$3,351
Boston$0
Fire Protection
San Francisco$2,281
Boston$1,107
Highways & Roads
San Francisco$0
Boston$594
Parks & Recreation
San Francisco$4,119
Boston$711
Education
San Francisco$0
Boston$30,742
Health
San Francisco$1,911
Boston$725
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
San FranciscoBoston
| Property Tax | $148 | $0 |
| Sales Tax | $3,028 | $78 |
| Income Tax | $269 | $0 |
| Intergovernmental | $19,762 | $5,357 |
| Charges & Fees | $7,961 | $2,784 |
| Other | $18,918 | $4,557 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
San FranciscoBoston
| Police | $3,351 | $0 |
| Fire Protection | $2,281 | $1,107 |
| Highways & Roads | $0 | $594 |
| Education | $0 | $30,742 |
| Public Welfare | $2,203 | $1,110 |
| Health | $1,911 | $725 |
| Hospitals | $6,939 | $2,584 |
| Parks & Recreation | $4,119 | $711 |
| Housing | $9,315 | $6,614 |
| Sewerage | $1,423 | $355 |
| Utilities | $21,190 | $3,402 |
| Interest on Debt | $22,798 | $0 |
| General Admin | $14,899 | $5,401 |
| Other | $93,702 | $18,955 |
D
San Francisco, CA
Fiscal Health Score: 48/100
Below average fiscal health
C
Boston, MA
Fiscal Health Score: 56/100
Average fiscal health