Columbus, GA vs Athens-Clarke County unified government (balance), GA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Athens-Clarke County unified government (balance), GA spends 33% more per resident than Columbus, GA: $20,643 against $15,522. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Columbus, GA edges Athens-Clarke County unified government (balance), GA on the Fiscal Health Score by 4 points — 82/100 (grade A) to 78/100 (grade B). At a margin this narrow the grade is close enough that the factor-level detail matters more than the composite.
Athens-Clarke County unified government (balance), GA reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Columbus, GA carries $37 per resident. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Columbus, GA leads with police at $1,611 per resident, while Athens-Clarke County unified government (balance), GA leads with parks and recreation at $2,332.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on other revenue — 15% of total revenue in Columbus, GA and 20% in Athens-Clarke County unified government (balance), GA.
Summary
Athens-Clarke County unified government (balance) spends 24.8% more per capita than Columbus ($5,120/person difference). Columbus, GA has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 82/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $64 | $35 |
| Sales Tax | $315 | $1,045 |
| Income Tax | $688 | $715 |
| Intergovernmental | $792 | $2,956 |
| Charges & Fees | $2,259 | $1,578 |
| Other | $3,202 | $6,437 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $1,611 | $1,372 |
| Fire Protection | $699 | $771 |
| Highways & Roads | $443 | $459 |
| Education | $21 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $1,247 | $508 |
| Health | $0 | $722 |
| Hospitals | $170 | $0 |
| Parks & Recreation | $669 | $2,332 |
| Housing | $2,701 | $2,708 |
| Sewerage | $66 | $183 |
| Utilities | $1,989 | $2,250 |
| Other | $5,907 | $9,338 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.