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

Columbus, OH vs Arlington, TX

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

Summary

Columbus spends 60.2% more per capita than Arlington ($7,089/person difference). Arlington, TX has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 83/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
Columbus, OH
Pop. 902,449
C
52/100
Budget Balance32
Debt Burden46
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency94
Revenue Diversity0
Trend Direction50
City B
Arlington, TX
Pop. 393,469
A
83/100
Budget Balance78
Debt Burden96
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity89
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Columbus
Arlington
Total Spending
$17.0B
$4.6B
Spending / Capita
$18,858
$11,769
Total Revenue
$0
$23.8B
Revenue / Capita
$0
$60,454
Total Debt
$1.0B
$233.8M
Debt / Capita
$1,145
$594
Population
902,449
393,469
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Columbus$1,016
Arlington$160
Highways & Roads
Columbus$224
Arlington$149
Parks & Recreation
Columbus$2,168
Arlington$1,352
Health
Columbus$0
Arlington$219

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

ColumbusArlington
Property Tax
$10
$0
Sales Tax
$234
$507
Income Tax
$1
$73
Intergovernmental
$0
$25,062
Charges & Fees
$2,389
$2,949
Other
$5,248
$3,897

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

ColumbusArlington
Fire Protection
$1,016
$160
Highways & Roads
$224
$149
Public Welfare
$878
$826
Health
$0
$219
Hospitals
$953
$152
Parks & Recreation
$2,168
$1,352
Housing
$4,303
$2,981
Sewerage
$1
$141
Utilities
$1,719
$1,385
Other
$7,595
$4,404
C
Columbus, OH
Fiscal Health Score: 52/100
Average fiscal health
A
Arlington, TX
Fiscal Health Score: 83/100
Excellent fiscal health

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