City government · Franklin County, OH

Columbus's money: where it comes from and where it goes

In the latest recorded fiscal year (ended December 31, 2023), Columbus took in $2.70 billion and spent $2.88 billion.

Latest recorded year: ended December 31, 2023Comes fromGoes to

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Where it comes from

City taxes48%Fees for services (sewer, water)31%Fines and other9.4%Federal tax money7.4%State tax money2.7%County and local tax money1.7%

What stands out

42%

of Columbus' money comes from a personal income tax.Most U.S. cities of 50,000+ people get none.

City taxes48%

Individual income tax
42%$1.14 billion
Property tax
2.9%$77.9 million
Other taxes
2.5%$66.9 million
What's in other taxesOther licenses; other selective sales taxes and 2 more
  • Other licenses$30.1 million
  • Other selective sales taxes$26.5 million
  • Public utility licenses$6.1 million
  • Public utility taxes$4.1 million

Amounts are by Census tax category.

Fees for services31%

Fees for services
31%$844 million
What's in fees for servicesSewer; water and 6 more
  • Sewer$377 million
  • Water$230 million
  • Other service charges$127 million
  • Electric power$86.5 million
  • Parks and recreation$15.3 million
  • Parking$8.3 million
  • Road charges$664 thousand
  • Garbage collection$30 thousand

Amounts are by Census type of charge.

Federal tax money7.4%

Grants from Washington, paid for by the federal taxes residents also pay.

From the federal government
7.4%$200 million

State tax money2.7%

Money the state passes on, paid for by the state taxes residents also pay.

From the state
2.7%$72.6 million

County and local tax money1.7%

Money passed on by the county or other local governments.

From the county and other local governments
1.7%$44.6 million

Fines and other9.4%

Interest, rents and other
8.7%$234 million
Fines
0.8%$20.7 million

Where it goes

Police, fire, courts and jails27%Water, sewer, trash and utilities25%Running the government and other costs14%Roads, transit and parking11%Parks, recreation and libraries9.8%All other spending13%

What stands out

5.7%

of Columbus' spending goes to interest on debt.A typical U.S. city of 50,000+ people spends 2.5%.

Spending by category100%

Police, fire, courts and jails
27%$774 million
What's in police, fire, courts and jailsPolice; fire protection and 1 more
  • Police$394 million
  • Fire protection$313 million
  • Courts and legal services$66.4 million
Water, sewer, trash and utilities
25%$717 million
What's in water, sewer, trash and utilitiesSewer systems; water supply and 2 more
  • Sewer systems$324 million
  • Water supply$241 million
  • Electric power$91.8 million
  • Garbage and solid waste$60.4 million
Running the government and other costs
14%$414 million
What's in running the government and other costsOther and not broken out; finance, tax collection and budgeting and 2 more
  • Other and not broken out$208 million
  • Finance, tax collection and budgeting$127 million
  • Central staff services (personnel, purchasing, technology)$58.2 million
  • Government buildings$20.7 million
Roads, transit and parking
11%$318 million
What's in roads, transit and parkingRoads and highways and parking
  • Roads and highways$297 million
  • Parking$21.4 million
Parks, recreation and libraries
9.8%$281 million
What's in parks, recreation and librariesParks and recreation
  • Parks and recreation$281 million
Interest on debt
5.7%$165 million
What's in interest on debtInterest on general debt; interest on water supply debt and 1 more
  • Interest on general debt$129 million
  • Interest on water supply debt$35.0 million
  • Interest on electric power debt$966 thousand
Housing and community development
4.1%$119 million
Health and hospitals
2.6%$75.6 million
What's in health and hospitalsPublic health
  • Public health$75.6 million
Schools and colleges
0.4%$10.2 million
What's in schools and collegesScholarships and other education subsidies
  • Scholarships and other education subsidies$10.2 million
Social services
0.2%$5.8 million
What's in social servicesOther public welfare
  • Other public welfare$5.8 million
Sources and moreWhere these numbers come from and what they cover

City of Columbus. U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, individual unit file, fiscal year ended December 31, 2023.

What this covers. The money of City of Columbus itself. Other governments that serve the same area (the city, county, school district and state) are separate and not included. Borrowing, transfers between a government's own funds, and pension trust funds are not counted as revenue.