Cleveland, OH vs Akron, OH
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Cleveland, OH spends 18% more per resident than Akron, OH: $23,088 against $19,638. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Akron, OH edges Cleveland, OH on the Fiscal Health Score by 4 points — 73/100 (grade B) to 69/100 (grade B). At a margin this narrow the grade is close enough that the factor-level detail matters more than the composite.
Akron, OH reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Cleveland, OH carries $1,253 per resident. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Cleveland, OH leads with parks and recreation at $879 per resident, while Akron, OH leads with fire protection at $922.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 16% of total revenue in Cleveland, OH and 100% in Akron, OH.
Summary
Cleveland spends 17.6% more per capita than Akron ($3,450/person difference). Akron, OH has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 73/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $470 | $0 |
| Sales Tax | $230 | $148 |
| Income Tax | $404 | $0 |
| Intergovernmental | $12,511 | $23,016 |
| Charges & Fees | $8,026 | $1,806 |
| Other | $1,801 | $6,798 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $134 | $0 |
| Fire Protection | $633 | $922 |
| Highways & Roads | $221 | $0 |
| Education | $65 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $184 | $0 |
| Hospitals | $147 | $4,350 |
| Parks & Recreation | $879 | $689 |
| Housing | $6,008 | $3,898 |
| Sewerage | $250 | $8 |
| Utilities | $5,621 | $3,689 |
| Other | $8,945 | $6,081 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.