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Data from U.S. Census Bureau · 2026 · Methodology
CitySpend

Chicago, IL vs Columbus, OH

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

Summary

Chicago spends 83.2% more per capita than Columbus ($15,693/person difference). Chicago, IL has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 61/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
Chicago, IL
Pop. 2,721,914
C
61/100
Budget Balance100
Debt Burden61
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency22
Revenue Diversity0
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
Chicago
Columbus
Total Spending
$94.0B
$17.0B
Spending / Capita
$34,551
$18,858
Total Revenue
$231.6B
$0
Revenue / Capita
$85,083
$0
Total Debt
$2.7B
$1.0B
Debt / Capita
$977
$1,145
Population
2,721,914
902,449
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Chicago$10,754
Columbus$1,016
Highways & Roads
Chicago$930
Columbus$224
Parks & Recreation
Chicago$122
Columbus$2,168
Health
Chicago$426
Columbus$0

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

ChicagoColumbus
Property Tax
$26
$10
Sales Tax
$74
$234
Income Tax
$229
$1
Intergovernmental
$85,083
$0
Charges & Fees
$2,847
$2,389
Other
$3,463
$5,248

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

ChicagoColumbus
Fire Protection
$10,754
$1,016
Highways & Roads
$930
$224
Public Welfare
$1,858
$878
Health
$426
$0
Hospitals
$1,444
$953
Parks & Recreation
$122
$2,168
Housing
$6,520
$4,303
Sewerage
$129
$1
Utilities
$2,983
$1,719
Other
$9,385
$7,595
C
Chicago, IL
Fiscal Health Score: 61/100
Average fiscal health
C
Columbus, OH
Fiscal Health Score: 52/100
Average fiscal health

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