Cincinnati, OH vs Hamilton, OH
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Hamilton, OH outspends Cincinnati, OH by a wide margin per resident — $116,276 versus $24,651, a 372% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
Cincinnati, OH holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 85/100 (grade A) against 65/100 (grade B) for Hamilton, OH — a 20-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
Neither city reports outstanding debt per resident in its current Census filing, which removes debt service as a point of difference between them. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Cincinnati, OH leads with parks and recreation at $2,030 per resident, while Hamilton, OH leads with fire protection at $2,102.
They also fund themselves differently: charges and fees is the largest single revenue source in Cincinnati, OH at 16% of total revenue, whereas Hamilton, OH relies most on intergovernmental transfers at 100%.
Summary
Hamilton spends 78.8% more per capita than Cincinnati ($91,624/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 | $604 |
| Sales Tax | $988 | $3,499 |
| Income Tax | $22 | $0 |
| Intergovernmental | $738 | $204,195 |
| Charges & Fees | $6,264 | $0 |
| Other | $2,429 | $71,987 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $1,931 | $2,102 |
| Highways & Roads | $259 | $86 |
| Public Welfare | $988 | $3,373 |
| Hospitals | $1,630 | $0 |
| Parks & Recreation | $2,030 | $1,125 |
| Housing | $5,569 | $15,570 |
| Sewerage | $312 | $0 |
| Utilities | $5,619 | $50,129 |
| Interest on Debt | $435 | $0 |
| Other | $5,878 | $43,891 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.