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

Columbus, OH vs Washington, DC

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

Summary

Washington spends 92.3% more per capita than Columbus ($224,483/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
Washington, DC
Pop. 670,587
D
41/100
Budget Balance45
Debt Burden0
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Columbus
Washington
Total Spending
$17.0B
$163.2B
Spending / Capita
$18,858
$243,341
Total Revenue
$0
$186.2B
Revenue / Capita
$0
$277,701
Total Debt
$1.0B
$1.7B
Debt / Capita
$1,145
$2,516
Population
902,449
670,587
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
Columbus$0
Washington$4,183
Fire Protection
Columbus$1,016
Washington$4,262
Highways & Roads
Columbus$224
Washington$1,435
Parks & Recreation
Columbus$2,168
Washington$5,459
Education
Columbus$0
Washington$53,224
Health
Columbus$0
Washington$1,009

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

ColumbusWashington
Property Tax
$10
$25
Sales Tax
$234
$991
Income Tax
$1
$141
Intergovernmental
$0
$18,754
Charges & Fees
$2,389
$4,070
Other
$5,248
$11,518

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

ColumbusWashington
Police
$0
$4,183
Fire Protection
$1,016
$4,262
Highways & Roads
$224
$1,435
Education
$0
$53,224
Public Welfare
$878
$2,498
Health
$0
$1,009
Hospitals
$953
$17,668
Parks & Recreation
$2,168
$5,459
Housing
$4,303
$10,296
Sewerage
$1
$2,881
Utilities
$1,719
$88,990
Interest on Debt
$0
$58
General Admin
$0
$3,225
Other
$7,595
$48,155
C
Columbus, OH
Fiscal Health Score: 52/100
Average fiscal health
D
Washington, DC
Fiscal Health Score: 41/100
Below average fiscal health

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