Parma, OH vs Cincinnati, OH
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Cincinnati, OH outspends Parma, OH by a wide margin per resident — $24,651 versus $9,437, a 161% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
Cincinnati, OH holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 85/100 (grade A) against 59/100 (grade C) for Parma, OH — a 26-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
Neither city reports outstanding debt per resident in its current Census filing, which removes debt service as a point of difference between them. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Parma, OH leads with fire protection at $682 per resident, while Cincinnati, OH leads with parks and recreation at $2,030.
They also fund themselves differently: intergovernmental transfers is the largest single revenue source in Parma, OH at 100% of total revenue, whereas Cincinnati, OH relies most on charges and fees at 16%.
Summary
Cincinnati spends 61.7% more per capita than Parma ($15,214/person difference). Cincinnati, OH has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 85/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Sales Tax | $201 | $988 |
| Income Tax | $0 | $22 |
| Intergovernmental | $434 | $738 |
| Charges & Fees | $0 | $6,264 |
| Other | $356 | $2,429 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $682 | $1,931 |
| Highways & Roads | $211 | $259 |
| Public Welfare | $683 | $988 |
| Hospitals | $879 | $1,630 |
| Parks & Recreation | $519 | $2,030 |
| Housing | $2,539 | $5,569 |
| Sewerage | $34 | $312 |
| Utilities | $0 | $5,619 |
| Interest on Debt | $0 | $435 |
| Other | $3,890 | $5,878 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.