Akron, OH vs Cincinnati, OH
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Cincinnati, OH spends 26% more per resident than Akron, OH: $24,651 against $19,638. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Cincinnati, OH holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 85/100 (grade A) against 73/100 (grade B) for Akron, OH — a 12-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
Neither city reports outstanding debt per resident in its current Census filing, which removes debt service as a point of difference between them. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Akron, OH leads with fire protection at $922 per resident, while Cincinnati, OH leads with parks and recreation at $2,030.
They also fund themselves differently: intergovernmental transfers is the largest single revenue source in Akron, OH at 100% of total revenue, whereas Cincinnati, OH relies most on charges and fees at 16%.
Summary
Cincinnati spends 20.3% more per capita than Akron ($5,013/person difference). Cincinnati, OH has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 85/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Sales Tax | $148 | $988 |
| Income Tax | $0 | $22 |
| Intergovernmental | $23,016 | $738 |
| Charges & Fees | $1,806 | $6,264 |
| Other | $6,798 | $2,429 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $922 | $1,931 |
| Highways & Roads | $0 | $259 |
| Public Welfare | $0 | $988 |
| Hospitals | $4,350 | $1,630 |
| Parks & Recreation | $689 | $2,030 |
| Housing | $3,898 | $5,569 |
| Sewerage | $8 | $312 |
| Utilities | $3,689 | $5,619 |
| Interest on Debt | $0 | $435 |
| Other | $6,081 | $5,878 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.