Columbia, MO vs St. Louis, MO
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
St. Louis, MO spends 30% more per resident than Columbia, MO: $17,927 against $13,757. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
St. Louis, MO edges Columbia, MO on the Fiscal Health Score by 4 points — 75/100 (grade B) to 71/100 (grade B). At a margin this narrow the grade is close enough that the factor-level detail matters more than the composite.
St. Louis, MO reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Columbia, MO carries $175 per resident. Both cities pour the most per-resident dollars into the same function: parks and recreation leads in Columbia, MO at $1,099 per resident and in St. Louis, MO at $1,053.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 100% of total revenue in Columbia, MO and 39% in St. Louis, MO.
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
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| 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)
| 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 |
Compare More Cities
Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.