Columbia, MO vs St. Charles, MO
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
St. Charles, MO spends 49% more per resident than Columbia, MO: $20,461 against $13,757. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Columbia, MO holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 71/100 (grade B) against 53/100 (grade C) for St. Charles, MO — a 18-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
St. Charles, MO reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Columbia, MO carries $175 per resident. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Columbia, MO leads with parks and recreation at $1,099 per resident, while St. Charles, MO leads with police at $2,304.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 100% of total revenue in Columbia, MO and 100% in St. Charles, MO.
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
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| 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)
| 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 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.