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

Columbia, MO vs St. Charles, MO

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

Summary

St. Charles spends 32.8% more per capita than Columbia ($6,704/person difference). Columbia, MO has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 71/100).

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
St. Charles, MO
Pop. 70,687
C
53/100
Budget Balance24
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency47
Revenue Diversity0
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Columbia
St. Charles
Total Spending
$1.7B
$1.4B
Spending / Capita
$13,757
$20,461
Total Revenue
$3.0B
$443.2M
Revenue / Capita
$23,577
$6,270
Total Debt
$22.0M
$0
Debt / Capita
$175
$0
Population
126,172
70,687
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
Columbia$0
St. Charles$2,304
Fire Protection
Columbia$355
St. Charles$1,251
Highways & Roads
Columbia$0
St. Charles$614
Parks & Recreation
Columbia$1,099
St. Charles$1,210

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

ColumbiaSt. Charles
Sales Tax
$668
$1,291
Income Tax
$2,110
$0
Intergovernmental
$23,577
$6,270
Charges & Fees
$2,293
$0
Other
$2,632
$2,994

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

ColumbiaSt. Charles
Police
$0
$2,304
Fire Protection
$355
$1,251
Highways & Roads
$0
$614
Public Welfare
$901
$4,187
Hospitals
$77
$1,602
Parks & Recreation
$1,099
$1,210
Housing
$1,692
$5,745
Sewerage
$0
$197
Utilities
$3,124
$254
Interest on Debt
$419
$0
Other
$6,091
$3,097
B
Columbia, MO
Fiscal Health Score: 71/100
Good fiscal health
C
St. Charles, MO
Fiscal Health Score: 53/100
Average fiscal health

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