FY22 Operating Budget

Learn about how the Operating Budget supports various services provided by the City.

Page Sections

The FY22 Operating Budget totals $3.76 billion and represents an increase of $153 million or 4.2% over FY21.

The operating budget is an approved annual spending plan allotted to both City departments and central budgets. The budget supports the cost of the day-to-day operations of City government, such as public education and public safety.
The budget also includes the yearly mandatory payments required to support long-term commitments for items like retirement pensions and debt service related to the Capital Plan.
The operating budget is funded primarily based on an estimate of annual recurring revenues.

Still have questions? Contact:
Budget

617-635-3870

send an email

1 City Hall Square
Room 813

Boston, MA 02201-2037
United States
Get the data
View PDFs of the Budget Book

OPERATING BUDGET OVERALL SPENDING

The FY22 budget reflects an increase of $153 million or 4.2% over the FY21 budget.
Of this year's growth, 43% is dedicated to education, including Boston Public Schools (BPS) and Charter School Tuition Assessment. 18% is targeted to maintain core City services and invest in programs to support an equitable recovery from COVID-19 and other systemic issues.
The collective bargaining reserve will see 6% of the growth from FY21. The remaining 33% will be consumed by the fixed costs of pensions and debt service.

Operating Budget Total Spending

The FY19-FY20 amounts are actual expenditures. The FY21 amount is a projection and the FY22 amount is a budget.

Expenditures

Operating Budget spending can be broken down into six main categories:

Personnel Service costs cover items such as employee salaries, overtime, and benefits.
Contractual Services represents services procured to support departmental operations such as telecommunications, utilities, and other operational services.
Supplies and Materials covers costs such as gasoline for vehicles, office supplies, and other general supplies to support departmental operations.

Current Charges include required expenses for things like health insurance, bonds, and health liability expenses.
Equipment costs include purchases like computers and financing costs for vehicles and information technology and telecommunication equipment.
Other costs include large items like employee pensions and capital bond debt service and charges assessed by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

Overall Spending

The chart to the left shows expenditures by area over three years.

The FY20 amount is actual expenditures. The FY21 amount is a projection and the FY22 amount is a budget.

Explore Spending

Select a department to see how its budget has changed over time.

Departmental Spending

The FY19-FY20 amounts are actual expenditures. The FY21 amount is a projection and the FY22 amount is a budget.

Revenue Overview

FY 2002

FY 2022

The City's revenue comes from: Property Tax, State Aid, Local Revenue (including Department Revenue and Excise Taxes), and Non-Recurring revenue.

The property tax levy has always been the City’s largest and most dependable source of recurring revenue. In recent years, property taxes have become a significantly larger portion of the total revenue due to decreases in state aid.

The Non-Recurring category includes $55 million from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA).