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

San Francisco, CA vs Columbus, OH

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

Summary

San Francisco spends 876.4% more per capita than Columbus ($165,273/person difference). Columbus, OH has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 52/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
San Francisco, CA
Pop. 851,036
D
48/100
Budget Balance70
Debt Burden0
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
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
San Francisco
Columbus
Total Spending
$156.7B
$17.0B
Spending / Capita
$184,131
$18,858
Total Revenue
$232.3B
$0
Revenue / Capita
$272,907
$0
Total Debt
$1.7B
$1.0B
Debt / Capita
$2,031
$1,145
Population
851,036
902,449
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
San Francisco$3,351
Columbus$0
Fire Protection
San Francisco$2,281
Columbus$1,016
Highways & Roads
San Francisco$0
Columbus$224
Parks & Recreation
San Francisco$4,119
Columbus$2,168
Health
San Francisco$1,911
Columbus$0

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

San FranciscoColumbus
Property Tax
$148
$10
Sales Tax
$3,028
$234
Income Tax
$269
$1
Intergovernmental
$19,762
$0
Charges & Fees
$7,961
$2,389
Other
$18,918
$5,248

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

San FranciscoColumbus
Police
$3,351
$0
Fire Protection
$2,281
$1,016
Highways & Roads
$0
$224
Public Welfare
$2,203
$878
Health
$1,911
$0
Hospitals
$6,939
$953
Parks & Recreation
$4,119
$2,168
Housing
$9,315
$4,303
Sewerage
$1,423
$1
Utilities
$21,190
$1,719
Interest on Debt
$22,798
$0
General Admin
$14,899
$0
Other
$93,702
$7,595
D
San Francisco, CA
Fiscal Health Score: 48/100
Below average fiscal health
C
Columbus, OH
Fiscal Health Score: 52/100
Average fiscal health

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