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

Tulsa, OK vs Boston, MA

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

Reviewed by CitySpend Editorial Team · Updated

Boston, MA outspends Tulsa, OK by a wide margin per resident — $72,299 versus $5,250, a 1277% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.

On the CitySpend Fiscal Health Score the two are level: Tulsa, OK and Boston, MA both land at 56/100 (grade C and C respectively), so the deciding factors sit in the underlying six-factor breakdown rather than the rolled-up grade.

Tulsa, OK 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: Tulsa, OK leads with health at $762 per resident, while Boston, MA leads with education at $30,742.

Summary

Boston spends 92.7% more per capita than Tulsa ($67,048/person difference). Both cities share the same Fiscal Health Score.

Fiscal Health Score

City A
Tulsa, OK
Pop. 411,938
C
56/100
Budget Balance4
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity0
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
Tulsa
Boston
Total Spending
$2.2B
$48.1B
Spending / Capita
$5,250
$72,299
Total Revenue
$0
$20.8B
Revenue / Capita
$0
$31,243
Total Debt
$0
$296.3M
Debt / Capita
$0
$445
Population
411,938
665,945
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
Tulsa$628
Boston$0
Fire Protection
Tulsa$196
Boston$1,107
Highways & Roads
Tulsa$257
Boston$594
Parks & Recreation
Tulsa$154
Boston$711
Education
Tulsa$0
Boston$30,742
Health
Tulsa$762
Boston$725

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

TulsaBoston
Sales Tax
$97
$78
Intergovernmental
$0
$5,357
Charges & Fees
$0
$2,784
Other
$53
$4,557

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

TulsaBoston
Police
$628
$0
Fire Protection
$196
$1,107
Highways & Roads
$257
$594
Education
$0
$30,742
Public Welfare
$86
$1,110
Health
$762
$725
Hospitals
$0
$2,584
Parks & Recreation
$154
$711
Housing
$350
$6,614
Sewerage
$27
$355
Utilities
$41
$3,402
General Admin
$0
$5,401
Other
$2,748
$18,955
C
Tulsa, OK
Fiscal Health Score: 56/100
Average fiscal health
C
Boston, MA
Fiscal Health Score: 56/100
Average fiscal health

Compare More Cities

Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.