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

San Diego, CA vs Columbus, OH

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

Summary

San Diego spends 129.6% more per capita than Columbus ($24,448/person difference). San Diego, CA has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 53/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
San Diego, CA
Pop. 1,383,987
C
53/100
Budget Balance14
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
Revenue Diversity96
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
San Diego
Columbus
Total Spending
$59.9B
$17.0B
Spending / Capita
$43,306
$18,858
Total Revenue
$13.4B
$0
Revenue / Capita
$9,662
$0
Total Debt
$0
$1.0B
Debt / Capita
$0
$1,145
Population
1,383,987
902,449
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
San Diego$3,335
Columbus$0
Fire Protection
San Diego$1,278
Columbus$1,016
Highways & Roads
San Diego$1,408
Columbus$224
Parks & Recreation
San Diego$436
Columbus$2,168
Education
San Diego$2,005
Columbus$0
Health
San Diego$411
Columbus$0

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

San DiegoColumbus
Property Tax
$124
$10
Sales Tax
$63
$234
Income Tax
$194
$1
Intergovernmental
$57
$0
Charges & Fees
$14
$2,389
Other
$3,801
$5,248

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

San DiegoColumbus
Police
$3,335
$0
Fire Protection
$1,278
$1,016
Highways & Roads
$1,408
$224
Education
$2,005
$0
Public Welfare
$700
$878
Health
$411
$0
Hospitals
$0
$953
Parks & Recreation
$436
$2,168
Housing
$4,476
$4,303
Sewerage
$43
$1
Utilities
$11,704
$1,719
Other
$17,509
$7,595
C
San Diego, CA
Fiscal Health Score: 53/100
Average fiscal health
C
Columbus, OH
Fiscal Health Score: 52/100
Average fiscal health

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