Cleveland, OH vs Dayton, OH
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Cleveland, OH spends 36% more per resident than Dayton, OH: $23,088 against $16,978. 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 57/100 (grade C) for Dayton, OH — a 12-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
On debt, Dayton, OH carries the lighter load at $16 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 Dayton, OH leads with fire protection at $855.
They also fund themselves differently: intergovernmental transfers is the largest single revenue source in Cleveland, OH at 16% of total revenue, whereas Dayton, OH relies most on other revenue at 52%.
Summary
Cleveland spends 36.0% more per capita than Dayton ($6,110/person difference). Cleveland, OH has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 69/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $470 | $30 |
| Sales Tax | $230 | $210 |
| Income Tax | $404 | $0 |
| Intergovernmental | $12,511 | $2,236 |
| Charges & Fees | $8,026 | $3,744 |
| Other | $1,801 | $5,977 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $134 | $0 |
| Fire Protection | $633 | $855 |
| Highways & Roads | $221 | $0 |
| Education | $65 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $184 | $2,147 |
| Hospitals | $147 | $677 |
| Parks & Recreation | $879 | $232 |
| Housing | $6,008 | $4,133 |
| Sewerage | $250 | $0 |
| Utilities | $5,621 | $2,873 |
| Other | $8,945 | $6,059 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.