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

San Jose, CA vs Boston, MA

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

Summary

Boston spends 75.2% more per capita than San Jose ($54,364/person difference). San Jose, CA has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 90/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
San Jose, CA
Pop. 1,001,176
A
90/100
Budget Balance100
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency98
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
San Jose
Boston
Total Spending
$18.0B
$48.1B
Spending / Capita
$17,934
$72,299
Total Revenue
$38.1B
$20.8B
Revenue / Capita
$38,091
$31,243
Total Debt
$0
$296.3M
Debt / Capita
$0
$445
Population
1,001,176
665,945
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
San Jose$0
Boston$1,107
Highways & Roads
San Jose$0
Boston$594
Parks & Recreation
San Jose$1,424
Boston$711
Education
San Jose$0
Boston$30,742
Health
San Jose$609
Boston$725

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

San JoseBoston
Property Tax
$40
$0
Sales Tax
$315
$78
Income Tax
$1,935
$0
Intergovernmental
$2,680
$5,357
Charges & Fees
$608
$2,784
Other
$3,519
$4,557

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

San JoseBoston
Fire Protection
$0
$1,107
Highways & Roads
$0
$594
Education
$0
$30,742
Public Welfare
$810
$1,110
Health
$609
$725
Hospitals
$1,254
$2,584
Parks & Recreation
$1,424
$711
Housing
$4,897
$6,614
Sewerage
$161
$355
Utilities
$2,533
$3,402
General Admin
$0
$5,401
Other
$6,247
$18,955
A
San Jose, CA
Fiscal Health Score: 90/100
Excellent fiscal health
C
Boston, MA
Fiscal Health Score: 56/100
Average fiscal health

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