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

Columbus, OH vs Raleigh, NC

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

Summary

Columbus spends 35.6% more per capita than Raleigh ($4,947/person difference). Raleigh, NC has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 76/100).

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
Raleigh, NC
Pop. 465,517
B
76/100
Budget Balance82
Debt Burden68
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity67
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Columbus
Raleigh
Total Spending
$17.0B
$6.5B
Spending / Capita
$18,858
$13,911
Total Revenue
$0
$13.9B
Revenue / Capita
$0
$29,940
Total Debt
$1.0B
$421.6M
Debt / Capita
$1,145
$906
Population
902,449
465,517
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Columbus$1,016
Raleigh$277
Highways & Roads
Columbus$224
Raleigh$448
Parks & Recreation
Columbus$2,168
Raleigh$1,391
Education
Columbus$0
Raleigh$6

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

ColumbusRaleigh
Property Tax
$10
$0
Sales Tax
$234
$858
Income Tax
$1
$806
Intergovernmental
$0
$14,128
Charges & Fees
$2,389
$2,681
Other
$5,248
$4,740

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

ColumbusRaleigh
Fire Protection
$1,016
$277
Highways & Roads
$224
$448
Education
$0
$6
Public Welfare
$878
$498
Hospitals
$953
$669
Parks & Recreation
$2,168
$1,391
Housing
$4,303
$2,712
Sewerage
$1
$281
Utilities
$1,719
$2,469
Interest on Debt
$0
$1,513
Other
$7,595
$3,646
C
Columbus, OH
Fiscal Health Score: 52/100
Average fiscal health
B
Raleigh, NC
Fiscal Health Score: 76/100
Good fiscal health

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