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

Detroit, MI vs Columbus, OH

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

Summary

Detroit spends 64.8% more per capita than Columbus ($12,229/person difference). Detroit, MI has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 69/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
Detroit, MI
Pop. 636,787
B
69/100
Budget Balance70
Debt Burden79
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency38
Revenue Diversity100
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
Detroit
Columbus
Total Spending
$19.8B
$17.0B
Spending / Capita
$31,087
$18,858
Total Revenue
$28.4B
$0
Revenue / Capita
$44,533
$0
Total Debt
$493.9M
$1.0B
Debt / Capita
$776
$1,145
Population
636,787
902,449
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Detroit$2,429
Columbus$1,016
Highways & Roads
Detroit$0
Columbus$224
Parks & Recreation
Detroit$950
Columbus$2,168
Health
Detroit$396
Columbus$0

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

DetroitColumbus
Property Tax
$44
$10
Sales Tax
$200
$234
Income Tax
$1,045
$1
Intergovernmental
$291
$0
Charges & Fees
$2,228
$2,389
Other
$6,892
$5,248

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

DetroitColumbus
Fire Protection
$2,429
$1,016
Highways & Roads
$0
$224
Public Welfare
$833
$878
Health
$396
$0
Hospitals
$2,217
$953
Parks & Recreation
$950
$2,168
Housing
$5,791
$4,303
Sewerage
$451
$1
Utilities
$2,737
$1,719
Interest on Debt
$2,068
$0
Other
$13,216
$7,595
B
Detroit, MI
Fiscal Health Score: 69/100
Good fiscal health
C
Columbus, OH
Fiscal Health Score: 52/100
Average fiscal health

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