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

Columbia, MO vs Springfield, MO

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

Summary

Springfield spends 12.4% more per capita than Columbia ($1,946/person difference). Springfield, MO has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 82/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
Columbia, MO
Pop. 126,172
B
71/100
Budget Balance66
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency98
Revenue Diversity0
Trend Direction50
City B
Springfield, MO
Pop. 168,873
A
82/100
Budget Balance76
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency87
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Columbia
Springfield
Total Spending
$1.7B
$2.7B
Spending / Capita
$13,757
$15,703
Total Revenue
$3.0B
$6.2B
Revenue / Capita
$23,577
$36,770
Total Debt
$22.0M
$0
Debt / Capita
$175
$0
Population
126,172
168,873
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Columbia$355
Springfield$68
Highways & Roads
Columbia$0
Springfield$487
Parks & Recreation
Columbia$1,099
Springfield$2,552
Education
Columbia$0
Springfield$1,123

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

ColumbiaSpringfield
Sales Tax
$668
$827
Income Tax
$2,110
$822
Intergovernmental
$23,577
$1,035
Charges & Fees
$2,293
$3,451
Other
$2,632
$4,051

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

ColumbiaSpringfield
Fire Protection
$355
$68
Highways & Roads
$0
$487
Education
$0
$1,123
Public Welfare
$901
$932
Hospitals
$77
$311
Parks & Recreation
$1,099
$2,552
Housing
$1,692
$2,768
Sewerage
$0
$206
Utilities
$3,124
$2,850
Interest on Debt
$419
$805
Other
$6,091
$3,601
B
Columbia, MO
Fiscal Health Score: 71/100
Good fiscal health
A
Springfield, MO
Fiscal Health Score: 82/100
Excellent fiscal health

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