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

Cincinnati, OH vs Columbus, OH

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

Summary

Cincinnati spends 30.7% more per capita than Columbus ($5,793/person difference). Cincinnati, OH has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 85/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
Cincinnati, OH
Pop. 308,870
A
85/100
Budget Balance100
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency67
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
Cincinnati
Columbus
Total Spending
$7.6B
$17.0B
Spending / Capita
$24,651
$18,858
Total Revenue
$12.4B
$0
Revenue / Capita
$40,064
$0
Total Debt
$0
$1.0B
Debt / Capita
$0
$1,145
Population
308,870
902,449
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Cincinnati$1,931
Columbus$1,016
Highways & Roads
Cincinnati$259
Columbus$224
Parks & Recreation
Cincinnati$2,030
Columbus$2,168

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

CincinnatiColumbus
Property Tax
$0
$10
Sales Tax
$988
$234
Income Tax
$22
$1
Intergovernmental
$738
$0
Charges & Fees
$6,264
$2,389
Other
$2,429
$5,248

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

CincinnatiColumbus
Fire Protection
$1,931
$1,016
Highways & Roads
$259
$224
Public Welfare
$988
$878
Hospitals
$1,630
$953
Parks & Recreation
$2,030
$2,168
Housing
$5,569
$4,303
Sewerage
$312
$1
Utilities
$5,619
$1,719
Interest on Debt
$435
$0
Other
$5,878
$7,595
A
Cincinnati, OH
Fiscal Health Score: 85/100
Excellent fiscal health
C
Columbus, OH
Fiscal Health Score: 52/100
Average fiscal health

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