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

Portland, OR vs Columbus, OH

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

Summary

Portland spends 25.5% more per capita than Columbus ($4,817/person difference). Portland, OR has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 63/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
Portland, OR
Pop. 646,101
C
63/100
Budget Balance83
Debt Burden7
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency72
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
Portland
Columbus
Total Spending
$15.3B
$17.0B
Spending / Capita
$23,675
$18,858
Total Revenue
$31.0B
$0
Revenue / Capita
$47,970
$0
Total Debt
$1.0B
$1.0B
Debt / Capita
$1,574
$1,145
Population
646,101
902,449
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Portland$1,700
Columbus$1,016
Highways & Roads
Portland$139
Columbus$224
Parks & Recreation
Portland$2,477
Columbus$2,168

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

PortlandColumbus
Property Tax
$0
$10
Sales Tax
$1,695
$234
Income Tax
$130
$1
Intergovernmental
$8,979
$0
Charges & Fees
$3,883
$2,389
Other
$7,916
$5,248

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

PortlandColumbus
Fire Protection
$1,700
$1,016
Highways & Roads
$139
$224
Public Welfare
$3,607
$878
Hospitals
$2,893
$953
Parks & Recreation
$2,477
$2,168
Housing
$3,694
$4,303
Sewerage
$630
$1
Utilities
$1,845
$1,719
Other
$6,689
$7,595
C
Portland, OR
Fiscal Health Score: 63/100
Average fiscal health
C
Columbus, OH
Fiscal Health Score: 52/100
Average fiscal health

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