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

St. Joseph, MO vs Columbia, MO

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

Summary

Columbia spends 21.7% more per capita than St. Joseph ($2,985/person difference). St. Joseph, MO has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 80/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
St. Joseph, MO
Pop. 72,198
A
80/100
Budget Balance100
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
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. Joseph
Columbia
Total Spending
$777.7M
$1.7B
Spending / Capita
$10,772
$13,757
Total Revenue
$1.1B
$3.0B
Revenue / Capita
$14,823
$23,577
Total Debt
$0
$22.0M
Debt / Capita
$0
$175
Population
72,198
126,172
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
St. Joseph$489
Columbia$355
Parks & Recreation
St. Joseph$1,000
Columbia$1,099

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

St. JosephColumbia
Property Tax
$30
$0
Sales Tax
$365
$668
Income Tax
$876
$2,110
Intergovernmental
$14,823
$23,577
Charges & Fees
$0
$2,293
Other
$5,785
$2,632

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

St. JosephColumbia
Fire Protection
$489
$355
Public Welfare
$1,015
$901
Hospitals
$288
$77
Parks & Recreation
$1,000
$1,099
Housing
$2,681
$1,692
Utilities
$416
$3,124
Interest on Debt
$804
$419
Other
$4,079
$6,091
A
St. Joseph, MO
Fiscal Health Score: 80/100
Excellent fiscal health
B
Columbia, MO
Fiscal Health Score: 71/100
Good fiscal health

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