Athens-Clarke County unified government (balance), GA vs Columbus, GA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Athens-Clarke County unified government (balance), GA spends 33% more per resident than Columbus, GA: $20,643 against $15,522. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Columbus, GA edges Athens-Clarke County unified government (balance), GA on the Fiscal Health Score by 4 points — 82/100 (grade A) to 78/100 (grade B). At a margin this narrow the grade is close enough that the factor-level detail matters more than the composite.
Athens-Clarke County unified government (balance), GA reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Columbus, GA carries $37 per resident. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Athens-Clarke County unified government (balance), GA leads with parks and recreation at $2,332 per resident, while Columbus, GA leads with police at $1,611.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on other revenue — 20% of total revenue in Athens-Clarke County unified government (balance), GA and 15% in Columbus, GA.
Summary
Athens-Clarke County unified government (balance) spends 33.0% more per capita than Columbus ($5,120/person difference). Columbus, GA has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 82/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $35 | $64 |
| Sales Tax | $1,045 | $315 |
| Income Tax | $715 | $688 |
| Intergovernmental | $2,956 | $792 |
| Charges & Fees | $1,578 | $2,259 |
| Other | $6,437 | $3,202 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $1,372 | $1,611 |
| Fire Protection | $771 | $699 |
| Highways & Roads | $459 | $443 |
| Education | $0 | $21 |
| Public Welfare | $508 | $1,247 |
| Health | $722 | $0 |
| Hospitals | $0 | $170 |
| Parks & Recreation | $2,332 | $669 |
| Housing | $2,708 | $2,701 |
| Sewerage | $183 | $66 |
| Utilities | $2,250 | $1,989 |
| Other | $9,338 | $5,907 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.