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

Cleveland, OH vs Canton, OH

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

Reviewed by CitySpend Editorial Team · Updated

Cleveland, OH spends 42% more per resident than Canton, OH: $23,088 against $16,223. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.

Cleveland, OH holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 69/100 (grade B) against 38/100 (grade D) for Canton, OH — a 31-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.

On debt, Canton, OH carries the lighter load at $701 per resident versus $1,253 for Cleveland, OH. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Cleveland, OH leads with parks and recreation at $879 per resident, while Canton, OH leads with fire protection at $698.

They also fund themselves differently: intergovernmental transfers is the largest single revenue source in Cleveland, OH at 16% of total revenue, whereas Canton, OH relies most on other revenue at 117%.

Summary

Cleveland spends 42.3% more per capita than Canton ($6,865/person difference). Cleveland, OH has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 69/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
Cleveland, OH
Pop. 370,365
B
69/100
Budget Balance81
Debt Burden36
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency74
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
City B
Canton, OH
Pop. 70,589
D
38/100
Budget Balance19
Debt Burden9
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency75
Revenue Diversity0
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Cleveland
Canton
Total Spending
$8.6B
$1.1B
Spending / Capita
$23,088
$16,223
Total Revenue
$29.6B
$285.5M
Revenue / Capita
$79,979
$4,045
Total Debt
$464.0M
$49.5M
Debt / Capita
$1,253
$701
Population
370,365
70,589
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
Cleveland$134
Canton$0
Fire Protection
Cleveland$633
Canton$698
Highways & Roads
Cleveland$221
Canton$0
Parks & Recreation
Cleveland$879
Canton$471
Education
Cleveland$65
Canton$106

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

ClevelandCanton
Property Tax
$470
$0
Sales Tax
$230
$87
Income Tax
$404
$1,203
Intergovernmental
$12,511
$1,768
Charges & Fees
$8,026
$3,063
Other
$1,801
$4,716

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

ClevelandCanton
Police
$134
$0
Fire Protection
$633
$698
Highways & Roads
$221
$0
Education
$65
$106
Public Welfare
$184
$433
Hospitals
$147
$485
Parks & Recreation
$879
$471
Housing
$6,008
$3,093
Sewerage
$250
$425
Utilities
$5,621
$2,516
Other
$8,945
$7,997
B
Cleveland, OH
Fiscal Health Score: 69/100
Good fiscal health
D
Canton, OH
Fiscal Health Score: 38/100
Below average fiscal health

Compare More Cities

Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.