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

Columbia, MO vs St. Joseph, MO

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

Summary

Columbia spends 27.7% more per capita than St. Joseph ($2,985/person difference). St. Joseph, MO has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 80/100).

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. Joseph, MO
Pop. 72,198
A
80/100
Budget Balance100
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity0
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Columbia
St. Joseph
Total Spending
$1.7B
$777.7M
Spending / Capita
$13,757
$10,772
Total Revenue
$3.0B
$1.1B
Revenue / Capita
$23,577
$14,823
Total Debt
$22.0M
$0
Debt / Capita
$175
$0
Population
126,172
72,198
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Columbia$355
St. Joseph$489
Parks & Recreation
Columbia$1,099
St. Joseph$1,000

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

ColumbiaSt. Joseph
Property Tax
$0
$30
Sales Tax
$668
$365
Income Tax
$2,110
$876
Intergovernmental
$23,577
$14,823
Charges & Fees
$2,293
$0
Other
$2,632
$5,785

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

ColumbiaSt. Joseph
Fire Protection
$355
$489
Public Welfare
$901
$1,015
Hospitals
$77
$288
Parks & Recreation
$1,099
$1,000
Housing
$1,692
$2,681
Utilities
$3,124
$416
Interest on Debt
$419
$804
Other
$6,091
$4,079
B
Columbia, MO
Fiscal Health Score: 71/100
Good fiscal health
A
St. Joseph, MO
Fiscal Health Score: 80/100
Excellent fiscal health

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