Skip to main content
Data from U.S. Census Bureau · 2026 · Methodology
CitySpend

Baltimore, MD vs Columbus, OH

Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)

Summary

Baltimore spends 260.2% more per capita than Columbus ($49,077/person difference). Baltimore, MD has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 70/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
Baltimore, MD
Pop. 584,548
B
70/100
Budget Balance79
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
City B
Columbus, OH
Pop. 902,449
C
52/100
Budget Balance32
Debt Burden46
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency94
Revenue Diversity0
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Baltimore
Columbus
Total Spending
$39.7B
$17.0B
Spending / Capita
$67,935
$18,858
Total Revenue
$41.3B
$0
Revenue / Capita
$70,679
$0
Total Debt
$0
$1.0B
Debt / Capita
$0
$1,145
Population
584,548
902,449
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
Baltimore$820
Columbus$0
Fire Protection
Baltimore$1,214
Columbus$1,016
Highways & Roads
Baltimore$676
Columbus$224
Parks & Recreation
Baltimore$384
Columbus$2,168
Education
Baltimore$35,510
Columbus$0
Health
Baltimore$757
Columbus$0

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

BaltimoreColumbus
Property Tax
$84
$10
Sales Tax
$55
$234
Income Tax
$375
$1
Intergovernmental
$5,085
$0
Charges & Fees
$2,192
$2,389
Other
$4,765
$5,248

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

BaltimoreColumbus
Police
$820
$0
Fire Protection
$1,214
$1,016
Highways & Roads
$676
$224
Education
$35,510
$0
Public Welfare
$714
$878
Health
$757
$0
Hospitals
$1,877
$953
Parks & Recreation
$384
$2,168
Housing
$4,087
$4,303
Sewerage
$87
$1
Utilities
$3,809
$1,719
General Admin
$19
$0
Other
$17,981
$7,595
B
Baltimore, MD
Fiscal Health Score: 70/100
Good fiscal health
C
Columbus, OH
Fiscal Health Score: 52/100
Average fiscal health

Compare More Cities