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

Dayton, OH vs Columbus, OH

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

Summary

Columbus spends 10.0% more per capita than Dayton ($1,880/person difference). Dayton, OH has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 57/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
Dayton, OH
Pop. 137,305
C
57/100
Budget Balance12
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency79
Revenue Diversity24
Trend Direction50
City B
Columbus, OH
Pop. 902,449
C
52/100
Budget Balance32
Debt Burden46
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency94
Revenue Diversity0
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Dayton
Columbus
Total Spending
$2.3B
$17.0B
Spending / Capita
$16,978
$18,858
Total Revenue
$1.6B
$0
Revenue / Capita
$11,491
$0
Total Debt
$2.1M
$1.0B
Debt / Capita
$16
$1,145
Population
137,305
902,449
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Dayton$855
Columbus$1,016
Highways & Roads
Dayton$0
Columbus$224
Parks & Recreation
Dayton$232
Columbus$2,168

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

DaytonColumbus
Property Tax
$30
$10
Sales Tax
$210
$234
Income Tax
$0
$1
Intergovernmental
$2,236
$0
Charges & Fees
$3,744
$2,389
Other
$5,977
$5,248

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

DaytonColumbus
Fire Protection
$855
$1,016
Highways & Roads
$0
$224
Public Welfare
$2,147
$878
Hospitals
$677
$953
Parks & Recreation
$232
$2,168
Housing
$4,133
$4,303
Sewerage
$0
$1
Utilities
$2,873
$1,719
Other
$6,059
$7,595
C
Dayton, OH
Fiscal Health Score: 57/100
Average fiscal health
C
Columbus, OH
Fiscal Health Score: 52/100
Average fiscal health

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