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

Columbus, OH vs Seattle, WA

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

Summary

Seattle spends 45.3% more per capita than Columbus ($15,604/person difference). Seattle, WA has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 61/100).

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
Seattle, WA
Pop. 734,603
C
61/100
Budget Balance69
Debt Burden50
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency22
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Columbus
Seattle
Total Spending
$17.0B
$25.3B
Spending / Capita
$18,858
$34,463
Total Revenue
$0
$56.5B
Revenue / Capita
$0
$76,958
Total Debt
$1.0B
$808.1M
Debt / Capita
$1,145
$1,100
Population
902,449
734,603
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Columbus$1,016
Seattle$210
Highways & Roads
Columbus$224
Seattle$0
Parks & Recreation
Columbus$2,168
Seattle$3,923
Education
Columbus$0
Seattle$1,461
Health
Columbus$0
Seattle$1,131

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

ColumbusSeattle
Property Tax
$10
$1,831
Sales Tax
$234
$1,094
Income Tax
$1
$3,496
Intergovernmental
$0
$9,846
Charges & Fees
$2,389
$3,960
Other
$5,248
$8,544

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

ColumbusSeattle
Fire Protection
$1,016
$210
Highways & Roads
$224
$0
Education
$0
$1,461
Public Welfare
$878
$3,439
Health
$0
$1,131
Hospitals
$953
$1,871
Parks & Recreation
$2,168
$3,923
Housing
$4,303
$3,727
Sewerage
$1
$952
Utilities
$1,719
$6,489
Other
$7,595
$11,260
C
Columbus, OH
Fiscal Health Score: 52/100
Average fiscal health
C
Seattle, WA
Fiscal Health Score: 61/100
Average fiscal health

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