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

Columbus, OH vs Portland, OR

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

Summary

Portland spends 20.3% more per capita than Columbus ($4,817/person difference). Portland, OR has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 63/100).

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
Portland, OR
Pop. 646,101
C
63/100
Budget Balance83
Debt Burden7
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency72
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Columbus
Portland
Total Spending
$17.0B
$15.3B
Spending / Capita
$18,858
$23,675
Total Revenue
$0
$31.0B
Revenue / Capita
$0
$47,970
Total Debt
$1.0B
$1.0B
Debt / Capita
$1,145
$1,574
Population
902,449
646,101
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Columbus$1,016
Portland$1,700
Highways & Roads
Columbus$224
Portland$139
Parks & Recreation
Columbus$2,168
Portland$2,477

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

ColumbusPortland
Property Tax
$10
$0
Sales Tax
$234
$1,695
Income Tax
$1
$130
Intergovernmental
$0
$8,979
Charges & Fees
$2,389
$3,883
Other
$5,248
$7,916

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

ColumbusPortland
Fire Protection
$1,016
$1,700
Highways & Roads
$224
$139
Public Welfare
$878
$3,607
Hospitals
$953
$2,893
Parks & Recreation
$2,168
$2,477
Housing
$4,303
$3,694
Sewerage
$1
$630
Utilities
$1,719
$1,845
Other
$7,595
$6,689
C
Columbus, OH
Fiscal Health Score: 52/100
Average fiscal health
C
Portland, OR
Fiscal Health Score: 63/100
Average fiscal health

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