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

Columbus, OH vs Cleveland, OH

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

Summary

Cleveland spends 18.3% more per capita than Columbus ($4,229/person difference). Cleveland, OH has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 69/100).

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
Cleveland, OH
Pop. 370,365
B
69/100
Budget Balance81
Debt Burden36
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency74
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Columbus
Cleveland
Total Spending
$17.0B
$8.6B
Spending / Capita
$18,858
$23,088
Total Revenue
$0
$29.6B
Revenue / Capita
$0
$79,979
Total Debt
$1.0B
$464.0M
Debt / Capita
$1,145
$1,253
Population
902,449
370,365
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
Columbus$0
Cleveland$134
Fire Protection
Columbus$1,016
Cleveland$633
Highways & Roads
Columbus$224
Cleveland$221
Parks & Recreation
Columbus$2,168
Cleveland$879
Education
Columbus$0
Cleveland$65

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

ColumbusCleveland
Property Tax
$10
$470
Sales Tax
$234
$230
Income Tax
$1
$404
Intergovernmental
$0
$12,511
Charges & Fees
$2,389
$8,026
Other
$5,248
$1,801

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

ColumbusCleveland
Police
$0
$134
Fire Protection
$1,016
$633
Highways & Roads
$224
$221
Education
$0
$65
Public Welfare
$878
$184
Hospitals
$953
$147
Parks & Recreation
$2,168
$879
Housing
$4,303
$6,008
Sewerage
$1
$250
Utilities
$1,719
$5,621
Other
$7,595
$8,945
C
Columbus, OH
Fiscal Health Score: 52/100
Average fiscal health
B
Cleveland, OH
Fiscal Health Score: 69/100
Good fiscal health

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