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

Columbia, MO vs St. Louis, MO

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

Summary

St. Louis spends 23.3% more per capita than Columbia ($4,169/person difference). St. Louis, MO has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 75/100).

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. Louis, MO
Pop. 298,018
B
75/100
Budget Balance54
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency98
Revenue Diversity70
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Columbia
St. Louis
Total Spending
$1.7B
$5.3B
Spending / Capita
$13,757
$17,927
Total Revenue
$3.0B
$4.3B
Revenue / Capita
$23,577
$14,322
Total Debt
$22.0M
$0
Debt / Capita
$175
$0
Population
126,172
298,018
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Columbia$355
St. Louis$677
Highways & Roads
Columbia$0
St. Louis$772
Parks & Recreation
Columbia$1,099
St. Louis$1,053

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

ColumbiaSt. Louis
Property Tax
$0
$58
Sales Tax
$668
$192
Income Tax
$2,110
$50
Intergovernmental
$23,577
$5,609
Charges & Fees
$2,293
$120
Other
$2,632
$4,382

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

ColumbiaSt. Louis
Fire Protection
$355
$677
Highways & Roads
$0
$772
Public Welfare
$901
$1,793
Hospitals
$77
$445
Parks & Recreation
$1,099
$1,053
Housing
$1,692
$5,667
Sewerage
$0
$436
Utilities
$3,124
$2,457
Interest on Debt
$419
$0
Other
$6,091
$4,627
B
Columbia, MO
Fiscal Health Score: 71/100
Good fiscal health
B
St. Louis, MO
Fiscal Health Score: 75/100
Good fiscal health

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