Explore Open Budget Datasets

Have you ever wondered how the City of Cambridge allocates its resources, or what projects and services receive funding? Our recently updated open budget datasets provide a transparent and detailed view into the city’s financial planning and spending–nearly a billion dollars for the 2025 financial year.

Whether you're a seasoned data analyst or simply a curious resident, our open budget data has something for you. You don't need to be a technical expert to understand how your tax dollars are being spent. The data are presented in a user-friendly format on our interactive budget data website, where you can easily navigate through different categories and fiscal years to see detailed expenditure and revenue information. You can filter data by department, project, or expenditure type, making it easy to see exactly how funds are allocated.

Want to dive even deeper? Download the raw data to conduct more complex analyses or create your own visualizations with tools like Tableau or ChatGPT.

The City offers six distinct datasets in four categories on its open data website:

Operating Revenues: this dataset includes detailed information on all sources of revenue for the city, such as taxes, state aid, and local receipts. It allows users to see how much money the city collects and from which sources. 

Operating Expenditures: this dataset breaks down how the city allocates its budget across various departments and programs. Users can explore spending in areas like public safety, education, public works, and social services. 

Capital Budget: this dataset focuses on the city's long-term investment projects. It includes information on funding for infrastructure improvements, public building renovations, and other physical assets.

Salaries:  One of our most popular datasets, this provides information on all budgeted positions within each city department. It includes details such as job title, department, service and total salary. Use it to analyze workforce trends and understand staffing levels in different areas of the city government.

Participatory Budgeting Final Ballot Projects and Participatory Budgeting Ideas Submitted by Community Members (update pending) provide a detailed picture of Cambridge's participatory budgeting process, in which community members directly vote on how to allocate a portion of the city's budget. These datasets include details on proposed projects, voting results, and funded initiatives. 

By exploring these datasets, residents, educators, and civic enthusiasts can gain a comprehensive understanding of Cambridge's financial landscape. Whether you're analyzing data for a school project, investigating how funds are distributed, or simply curious about city finances, these resources provide a wealth of information to support your inquiries.