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

St. Charles, MO vs Columbia, MO

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

Summary

St. Charles spends 48.7% more per capita than Columbia ($6,704/person difference). Columbia, MO has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 71/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
St. Charles, MO
Pop. 70,687
C
53/100
Budget Balance24
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency47
Revenue Diversity0
Trend Direction50
City B
Columbia, MO
Pop. 126,172
B
71/100
Budget Balance66
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency98
Revenue Diversity0
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
St. Charles
Columbia
Total Spending
$1.4B
$1.7B
Spending / Capita
$20,461
$13,757
Total Revenue
$443.2M
$3.0B
Revenue / Capita
$6,270
$23,577
Total Debt
$0
$22.0M
Debt / Capita
$0
$175
Population
70,687
126,172
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
St. Charles$2,304
Columbia$0
Fire Protection
St. Charles$1,251
Columbia$355
Highways & Roads
St. Charles$614
Columbia$0
Parks & Recreation
St. Charles$1,210
Columbia$1,099

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

St. CharlesColumbia
Sales Tax
$1,291
$668
Income Tax
$0
$2,110
Intergovernmental
$6,270
$23,577
Charges & Fees
$0
$2,293
Other
$2,994
$2,632

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

St. CharlesColumbia
Police
$2,304
$0
Fire Protection
$1,251
$355
Highways & Roads
$614
$0
Public Welfare
$4,187
$901
Hospitals
$1,602
$77
Parks & Recreation
$1,210
$1,099
Housing
$5,745
$1,692
Sewerage
$197
$0
Utilities
$254
$3,124
Interest on Debt
$0
$419
Other
$3,097
$6,091
C
St. Charles, MO
Fiscal Health Score: 53/100
Average fiscal health
B
Columbia, MO
Fiscal Health Score: 71/100
Good fiscal health

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