city_hall

Official websites use .boston.gov

A .boston.gov website belongs to an official government organization in the City of Boston.

lock

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS

A lock or https:// means you've safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Last updated:

CityScore

CityScore is an initiative designed to inform the Mayor and city managers about the overall health of the City at a moment’s notice by aggregating key performance metrics into one number. Here we will provide you with an overview of the CityScore tool and data, but more importantly we will show you how we are using CityScore to make improvements across the City.

The Score

  • <

    Scores below 1 indicate that performance is below the target.

  • 1.0
  • >

    Scores above 1 indicate that performance is exceeding the target.

  • Today's Score -
Topic Day Week Month QTR
311 CALL CENTER PERFORMANCE
0.97
0.96
0.97
0.94
CODE ENFORCEMENT ON-TIME %
1.25
1.24
1.25
1.25
CODE ENFORCEMENT TRASH COLLECTION
1.25
1.23
1.21
1.19
GRAFFITI ON-TIME %
0.08
0.79
0.75
MISSED TRASH ON-TIME %
1.22
1.21
1.21
PARKS MAINTENANCE ON-TIME %
0.74
0.97
0.89
0.89
POTHOLE ON-TIME %
0.73
0.74
0.65
SIGN INSTALLATION ON-TIME %
1.20
1.20
1.06
SIGNAL REPAIR ON-TIME %
1.25
1.17
1.15
1.17
STREETLIGHT ON-TIME %
1.25
0.67
0.64
0.78
TREE MAINTENANCE ON-TIME %
0.83
1.11
1.04
1.14
ON-TIME PERMIT REVIEWS
0.53
0.69
0.71
LIBRARY USERS
2.04
BPS ATTENDANCE
BFD RESPONSE TIME
0.90
0.93
0.94
0.93
BFD INCIDENTS
0.99
1.00
1.17
0.98
EMS RESPONSE TIME
0.95
0.89
0.82
0.80
PART 1 CRIMES
1.47
1.39
1.14
1.20
HOMICIDES (TREND)
3.06
SHOOTINGS (TREND)
0.61
1.43
1.93
1.45
STABBINGS (TREND)
0.68
1.05
1.62
1.42
311 CONSTITUENT EXPERIENCE SURVEYS
1.25
0.93
1.12
1.13
CITY SERVICES SATISFACTION SURVEYS
0.75
0.66
0.70
0.76

Please note: daily scores reflect the previous day, weekly scores update every Monday, monthly scores update on the 1st of each month, and quarterly scores on the 1st of each quarter.

What does Cityscore measure?

What does Cityscore measure?

The 311 call center is the City’s constituent service center, staffed by highly-trained representatives ready to help you with requests for non-emergency City services and information. We aim to have our live agents answer 311 calls within 30 seconds at least 95% of the time.

An “incident” is an occurrence that requires action or support by emergency services (Boston Fire Department) to prevent or minimize loss of life or damage to property. A CityScore greater than 1 indicates a decrease in Boston Fire incidents relative to the historical average.

When you call 911 to report an incident and Boston Fire is dispatched, we aim for the first fire truck to arrive on scene in four minutes or less from the time they leave the station at least 90% of the time.

We aim for at least 95% of enrolled students to be in attendance every day across all Boston Public Schools during the school year.

Public Works Code Enforcement Officers respond to constituent complaints about issues that violate State and City Sanitary Codes, including:

  • Improper Storage of Trash
  • Unshoveled Sidewalks, or
  • Overgrown Weeds.

We aim to respond to at least 80% of these constituent complaints within two business days.

When our Public Works Code Enforcement officers issue violations for trash-related infractions like Illegal Dumping or Over-filling of Trash Barrels. They also create a 311 case for that trash to be picked up by our sanitation workers.

We aim to collect that trash or debris within 24 hours at least 80% of the time.

If you provide an email address when making a 311 request, you will be notified when your case is closed and asked to rate your experience. We aim to average at least 4 out of 5 on our constituent satisfaction surveys.

An “incident” is any request for emergency medical service which generates a distinct entry in the computer aided dispatch (CAD) system.

A single incident may generate the response of multiple EMS vehicles and involve multiple patients. A CityScore greater than 1 indicates a decrease in EMS incidents relative to the historical average.

When you call 911 to report a life-threatening illness or injury it triggers a priority 1 EMS response. We aim for a median EMS response time of 6 minutes or less for priority 1 responses.

The removal of graffiti on private property as requested by Boston residents and approved by property owners. We aim to remove at least 80% of this graffiti reported through 311 within 45 business days.

The killing of one person by another. A CityScore greater than 1 indicates a decrease in homicides relative to the historical average.

If you use your library card to access a service through the Boston Public Library, such as to use a computer or to check out a book or e-book, you are considered an active library user. We want the number of active library users to increase.

If your trash or recycling was put out on time but was not picked up, the Public Works Department will send a crew to inspect. We aim to inspect at least 80% of missed trash reported through 311 within 1 business day.

For construction permits that require Building and Zoning review, we measure the number of calendar days from when a review is created and assigned (once the permit has been submitted, the initial administrative reviews completed, and the fees have been paid) to the review result. Reviews completed in 30 or fewer calendar days (including weekends and holidays) are considered on-time, and we aim to complete 100% of reviews on-time.

The primary tasks of parks maintenance include trash removal, grass cutting and field lining as well as the maintenance of:

  • fencing and benches
  • play equipment
  • irrigation, and
  • graffiti removal.

We aim to address at least 80% of park lighting requests within seven business days and all other parks maintenance requests within five business days.

Index crimes reported to the FBI for serious offenses, including aggravated assault, forcible rape, murder, robbery, arson, burglary, larceny-theft, and motor vehicle theft. In CityScore this metric excludes homicides, shootings and stabbings, which are tracked independently. A CityScore greater than 1 indicates a decrease in Part 1 Crimes relative to the historical average.

The Public Works Department repairs potholes to increase safety and reduce vehicular damage. We aim to repair at least 80% of potholes reported through 311 within one business day.

Assault and battery (non-fatal) with a firearm. A CityScore greater than 1 indicates a decrease in shootings relative to the historical average.

The Transportation Department installs and maintains signs to provide clarity and safety on Boston’s streets. We aim to fix damaged signs or install approved new signs within 30 calendar days at least 80% of the time.

The Transportation Department is responsible for repairing broken or malfunctioning traffic signals. We aim to repair at least 80% of traffic signal outages reported through 311 within 24 hours.

Assault and battery (non-fatal) with a knife. A CityScore greater than 1 indicates a decrease in stabbings relative to the historical average.

The Public Works Department is tasked with repairing broken or malfunctioning streetlights. We aim to repair at least 80% of streetlight outages reported through 311 within 10 business days.

The tree maintenance division provides maintenance, including pruning and removal, to 38,000 street trees and 2600 acres of wooded parkland. We aim to perform maintenance on at least 80% of trees reported through 311 within 365 calendar days.

Case studies

Improving EMS response time

Image for an ems ceremony

We found that increases in visitors and the City's resident population over the past several years led to a rise in emergency medical 911 calls. But, the EMS budget had not grown to allow them to hire more EMTs and replace aging ambulances. Hearing this, the Mayor prioritized funding in the next City budget for EMS to train a new class of 20 EMTs and buy 10 replacement ambulances.

Installing traffic signs

Image for sign

Being able to see the data every day in CityScore allows us to identify issues faster than with traditional reporting. Since CityScore launched, more than 88% of sign installation cases have been closed on time. In fact, sign installation increased 21% in just 6 months!

What we're working on now

Image for go

  • Increase the capacity of our 311 call center to ensure your calls are answered faster
  • Improve streetlight maintenance processes to keep streets well-lit and safe
  • Evaluate the impact of new EMS resources on response times
Back to top