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

Columbus, GA vs South Fulton, GA

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

Summary

South Fulton spends 33.1% more per capita than Columbus ($7,688/person difference). Columbus, GA has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 82/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
Columbus, GA
Pop. 204,572
A
82/100
Budget Balance76
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency88
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
City B
South Fulton, GA
Pop. 107,865
D
48/100
Budget Balance6
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency42
Revenue Diversity0
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Columbus
South Fulton
Total Spending
$3.2B
$2.5B
Spending / Capita
$15,522
$23,211
Total Revenue
$4.4B
$44.9M
Revenue / Capita
$21,716
$416
Total Debt
$7.6M
$0
Debt / Capita
$37
$0
Population
204,572
107,865
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
Columbus$1,611
South Fulton$0
Fire Protection
Columbus$699
South Fulton$456
Highways & Roads
Columbus$443
South Fulton$129
Parks & Recreation
Columbus$669
South Fulton$985
Education
Columbus$21
South Fulton$138

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

ColumbusSouth Fulton
Property Tax
$64
$36
Sales Tax
$315
$369
Income Tax
$688
$1,634
Intergovernmental
$792
$416
Charges & Fees
$2,259
$1,624
Other
$3,202
$5,785

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

ColumbusSouth Fulton
Police
$1,611
$0
Fire Protection
$699
$456
Highways & Roads
$443
$129
Education
$21
$138
Public Welfare
$1,247
$1,252
Hospitals
$170
$381
Parks & Recreation
$669
$985
Housing
$2,701
$2,512
Sewerage
$66
$0
Utilities
$1,989
$4,087
Other
$5,907
$13,271
A
Columbus, GA
Fiscal Health Score: 82/100
Excellent fiscal health
D
South Fulton, GA
Fiscal Health Score: 48/100
Below average fiscal health

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