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

Columbus, OH vs Wichita, KS

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

Summary

Columbus spends 136.1% more per capita than Wichita ($10,872/person difference). Wichita, KS has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 90/100).

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
Wichita, KS
Pop. 395,951
A
90/100
Budget Balance100
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Columbus
Wichita
Total Spending
$17.0B
$3.2B
Spending / Capita
$18,858
$7,986
Total Revenue
$0
$10.7B
Revenue / Capita
$0
$27,057
Total Debt
$1.0B
$52.2M
Debt / Capita
$1,145
$132
Population
902,449
395,951
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Columbus$1,016
Wichita$152
Highways & Roads
Columbus$224
Wichita$126
Parks & Recreation
Columbus$2,168
Wichita$874
Education
Columbus$0
Wichita$2
Health
Columbus$0
Wichita$254

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

ColumbusWichita
Property Tax
$10
$0
Sales Tax
$234
$246
Income Tax
$1
$57
Intergovernmental
$0
$3,895
Charges & Fees
$2,389
$3,193
Other
$5,248
$2,783

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

ColumbusWichita
Fire Protection
$1,016
$152
Highways & Roads
$224
$126
Education
$0
$2
Public Welfare
$878
$441
Health
$0
$254
Hospitals
$953
$113
Parks & Recreation
$2,168
$874
Housing
$4,303
$2,618
Sewerage
$1
$0
Utilities
$1,719
$1,225
Interest on Debt
$0
$70
Other
$7,595
$2,111
C
Columbus, OH
Fiscal Health Score: 52/100
Average fiscal health
A
Wichita, KS
Fiscal Health Score: 90/100
Excellent fiscal health

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