Athens-Clarke County unified government (balance), GA vs Columbus, GA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
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
B
78/100
Budget Balance75
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency58
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
A
82/100
Budget Balance76
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency88
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
Key Metrics
Metric
Athens-Clarke County unified government (balance)
Columbus
Total Spending
$2.6B
$3.2B
Spending / Capita
$20,643
$15,522
Total Revenue
$4.2B
$4.4B
Revenue / Capita
$32,902
$21,716
Total Debt
$0
$7.6M
Debt / Capita
$0
$37
Population
126,672
204,572
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0
Per Capita Spending by Department
Police
Athens-Clarke County unified government (balance)$1,372
Columbus$1,611
Fire Protection
Athens-Clarke County unified government (balance)$771
Columbus$699
Highways & Roads
Athens-Clarke County unified government (balance)$459
Columbus$443
Parks & Recreation
Athens-Clarke County unified government (balance)$2,332
Columbus$669
Education
Athens-Clarke County unified government (balance)$0
Columbus$21
Health
Athens-Clarke County unified government (balance)$722
Columbus$0
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
Athens-Clarke County unified government (balance)Columbus
| 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)
Athens-Clarke County unified government (balance)Columbus
| 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 |
B
Athens-Clarke County unified government (balance), GA
Fiscal Health Score: 78/100
Good fiscal health
A
Columbus, GA
Fiscal Health Score: 82/100
Excellent fiscal health