Akron, OH vs Cleveland, OH
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Cleveland, OH spends 18% more per resident than Akron, OH: $23,088 against $19,638. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Akron, OH edges Cleveland, OH on the Fiscal Health Score by 4 points — 73/100 (grade B) to 69/100 (grade B). At a margin this narrow the grade is close enough that the factor-level detail matters more than the composite.
Akron, OH reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Cleveland, OH carries $1,253 per resident. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Akron, OH leads with fire protection at $922 per resident, while Cleveland, OH leads with parks and recreation at $879.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 100% of total revenue in Akron, OH and 16% in Cleveland, OH.
Summary
Cleveland spends 14.9% more per capita than Akron ($3,450/person difference). Akron, OH has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 73/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $0 | $470 |
| Sales Tax | $148 | $230 |
| Income Tax | $0 | $404 |
| Intergovernmental | $23,016 | $12,511 |
| Charges & Fees | $1,806 | $8,026 |
| Other | $6,798 | $1,801 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $0 | $134 |
| Fire Protection | $922 | $633 |
| Highways & Roads | $0 | $221 |
| Education | $0 | $65 |
| Public Welfare | $0 | $184 |
| Hospitals | $4,350 | $147 |
| Parks & Recreation | $689 | $879 |
| Housing | $3,898 | $6,008 |
| Sewerage | $8 | $250 |
| Utilities | $3,689 | $5,621 |
| Other | $6,081 | $8,945 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.