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

Columbus, OH vs San Francisco, CA

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

Summary

San Francisco spends 89.8% more per capita than Columbus ($165,273/person difference). Columbus, OH has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 52/100).

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
San Francisco, CA
Pop. 851,036
D
48/100
Budget Balance70
Debt Burden0
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Columbus
San Francisco
Total Spending
$17.0B
$156.7B
Spending / Capita
$18,858
$184,131
Total Revenue
$0
$232.3B
Revenue / Capita
$0
$272,907
Total Debt
$1.0B
$1.7B
Debt / Capita
$1,145
$2,031
Population
902,449
851,036
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
Columbus$0
San Francisco$3,351
Fire Protection
Columbus$1,016
San Francisco$2,281
Highways & Roads
Columbus$224
San Francisco$0
Parks & Recreation
Columbus$2,168
San Francisco$4,119
Health
Columbus$0
San Francisco$1,911

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

ColumbusSan Francisco
Property Tax
$10
$148
Sales Tax
$234
$3,028
Income Tax
$1
$269
Intergovernmental
$0
$19,762
Charges & Fees
$2,389
$7,961
Other
$5,248
$18,918

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

ColumbusSan Francisco
Police
$0
$3,351
Fire Protection
$1,016
$2,281
Highways & Roads
$224
$0
Public Welfare
$878
$2,203
Health
$0
$1,911
Hospitals
$953
$6,939
Parks & Recreation
$2,168
$4,119
Housing
$4,303
$9,315
Sewerage
$1
$1,423
Utilities
$1,719
$21,190
Interest on Debt
$0
$22,798
General Admin
$0
$14,899
Other
$7,595
$93,702
C
Columbus, OH
Fiscal Health Score: 52/100
Average fiscal health
D
San Francisco, CA
Fiscal Health Score: 48/100
Below average fiscal health

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