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

Columbus, OH vs Cincinnati, OH

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

Summary

Cincinnati spends 23.5% more per capita than Columbus ($5,793/person difference). Cincinnati, OH has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 85/100).

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
Cincinnati, OH
Pop. 308,870
A
85/100
Budget Balance100
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency67
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Columbus
Cincinnati
Total Spending
$17.0B
$7.6B
Spending / Capita
$18,858
$24,651
Total Revenue
$0
$12.4B
Revenue / Capita
$0
$40,064
Total Debt
$1.0B
$0
Debt / Capita
$1,145
$0
Population
902,449
308,870
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Columbus$1,016
Cincinnati$1,931
Highways & Roads
Columbus$224
Cincinnati$259
Parks & Recreation
Columbus$2,168
Cincinnati$2,030

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

ColumbusCincinnati
Property Tax
$10
$0
Sales Tax
$234
$988
Income Tax
$1
$22
Intergovernmental
$0
$738
Charges & Fees
$2,389
$6,264
Other
$5,248
$2,429

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

ColumbusCincinnati
Fire Protection
$1,016
$1,931
Highways & Roads
$224
$259
Public Welfare
$878
$988
Hospitals
$953
$1,630
Parks & Recreation
$2,168
$2,030
Housing
$4,303
$5,569
Sewerage
$1
$312
Utilities
$1,719
$5,619
Interest on Debt
$0
$435
Other
$7,595
$5,878
C
Columbus, OH
Fiscal Health Score: 52/100
Average fiscal health
A
Cincinnati, OH
Fiscal Health Score: 85/100
Excellent fiscal health

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