Cincinnati, OH vs Dayton, OH
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Cincinnati, OH spends 45% more per resident than Dayton, OH: $24,651 against $16,978. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Cincinnati, OH holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 85/100 (grade A) against 57/100 (grade C) for Dayton, OH — a 28-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
Cincinnati, OH reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Dayton, OH carries $16 per resident. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Cincinnati, OH leads with parks and recreation at $2,030 per resident, while Dayton, OH leads with fire protection at $855.
They also fund themselves differently: charges and fees is the largest single revenue source in Cincinnati, OH at 16% of total revenue, whereas Dayton, OH relies most on other revenue at 52%.
Summary
Cincinnati spends 45.2% more per capita than Dayton ($7,673/person difference). Cincinnati, OH has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 85/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $0 | $30 |
| Sales Tax | $988 | $210 |
| Income Tax | $22 | $0 |
| Intergovernmental | $738 | $2,236 |
| Charges & Fees | $6,264 | $3,744 |
| Other | $2,429 | $5,977 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $1,931 | $855 |
| Highways & Roads | $259 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $988 | $2,147 |
| Hospitals | $1,630 | $677 |
| Parks & Recreation | $2,030 | $232 |
| Housing | $5,569 | $4,133 |
| Sewerage | $312 | $0 |
| Utilities | $5,619 | $2,873 |
| Interest on Debt | $435 | $0 |
| Other | $5,878 | $6,059 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.