St. Louis, MO vs Columbia, MO
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
St. Louis, MO spends 30% more per resident than Columbia, MO: $17,927 against $13,757. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
St. Louis, MO edges Columbia, MO on the Fiscal Health Score by 4 points — 75/100 (grade B) to 71/100 (grade B). At a margin this narrow the grade is close enough that the factor-level detail matters more than the composite.
St. Louis, MO reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Columbia, MO carries $175 per resident. Both cities pour the most per-resident dollars into the same function: parks and recreation leads in St. Louis, MO at $1,053 per resident and in Columbia, MO at $1,099.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 39% of total revenue in St. Louis, MO and 100% in Columbia, MO.
Summary
St. Louis spends 30.3% more per capita than Columbia ($4,169/person difference). St. Louis, MO has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 75/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $58 | $0 |
| Sales Tax | $192 | $668 |
| Income Tax | $50 | $2,110 |
| Intergovernmental | $5,609 | $23,577 |
| Charges & Fees | $120 | $2,293 |
| Other | $4,382 | $2,632 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $677 | $355 |
| Highways & Roads | $772 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $1,793 | $901 |
| Hospitals | $445 | $77 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,053 | $1,099 |
| Housing | $5,667 | $1,692 |
| Sewerage | $436 | $0 |
| Utilities | $2,457 | $3,124 |
| Interest on Debt | $0 | $419 |
| Other | $4,627 | $6,091 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.