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

Columbus, OH vs Boston, MA

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

Summary

Boston spends 73.9% more per capita than Columbus ($53,441/person difference). Boston, MA has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 56/100).

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
Boston, MA
Pop. 665,945
C
56/100
Budget Balance25
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Columbus
Boston
Total Spending
$17.0B
$48.1B
Spending / Capita
$18,858
$72,299
Total Revenue
$0
$20.8B
Revenue / Capita
$0
$31,243
Total Debt
$1.0B
$296.3M
Debt / Capita
$1,145
$445
Population
902,449
665,945
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Columbus$1,016
Boston$1,107
Highways & Roads
Columbus$224
Boston$594
Parks & Recreation
Columbus$2,168
Boston$711
Education
Columbus$0
Boston$30,742
Health
Columbus$0
Boston$725

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

ColumbusBoston
Property Tax
$10
$0
Sales Tax
$234
$78
Income Tax
$1
$0
Intergovernmental
$0
$5,357
Charges & Fees
$2,389
$2,784
Other
$5,248
$4,557

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

ColumbusBoston
Fire Protection
$1,016
$1,107
Highways & Roads
$224
$594
Education
$0
$30,742
Public Welfare
$878
$1,110
Health
$0
$725
Hospitals
$953
$2,584
Parks & Recreation
$2,168
$711
Housing
$4,303
$6,614
Sewerage
$1
$355
Utilities
$1,719
$3,402
General Admin
$0
$5,401
Other
$7,595
$18,955
C
Columbus, OH
Fiscal Health Score: 52/100
Average fiscal health
C
Boston, MA
Fiscal Health Score: 56/100
Average fiscal health

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