Columbus, OH vs Detroit, MI
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Summary
Detroit spends 39.3% more per capita than Columbus ($12,229/person difference). Detroit, MI has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 69/100).
Fiscal Health Score
C
52/100
Budget Balance32
Debt Burden46
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency94
Revenue Diversity0
Trend Direction50
B
69/100
Budget Balance70
Debt Burden79
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency38
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
Key Metrics
Metric
Columbus
Detroit
Total Spending
$17.0B
$19.8B
Spending / Capita
$18,858
$31,087
Total Revenue
$0
$28.4B
Revenue / Capita
$0
$44,533
Total Debt
$1.0B
$493.9M
Debt / Capita
$1,145
$776
Population
902,449
636,787
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0
Per Capita Spending by Department
Fire Protection
Columbus$1,016
Detroit$2,429
Highways & Roads
Columbus$224
Detroit$0
Parks & Recreation
Columbus$2,168
Detroit$950
Health
Columbus$0
Detroit$396
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
ColumbusDetroit
| Property Tax | $10 | $44 |
| Sales Tax | $234 | $200 |
| Income Tax | $1 | $1,045 |
| Intergovernmental | $0 | $291 |
| Charges & Fees | $2,389 | $2,228 |
| Other | $5,248 | $6,892 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
ColumbusDetroit
| Fire Protection | $1,016 | $2,429 |
| Highways & Roads | $224 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $878 | $833 |
| Health | $0 | $396 |
| Hospitals | $953 | $2,217 |
| Parks & Recreation | $2,168 | $950 |
| Housing | $4,303 | $5,791 |
| Sewerage | $1 | $451 |
| Utilities | $1,719 | $2,737 |
| Interest on Debt | $0 | $2,068 |
| Other | $7,595 | $13,216 |
C
Columbus, OH
Fiscal Health Score: 52/100
Average fiscal health
B
Detroit, MI
Fiscal Health Score: 69/100
Good fiscal health