Sanborn Field and Soil Erosion Plots · Photo: Iwtwb8 · CC BY-SA 3.0Columbia spent more per resident in 2022 than 89% of similar cities
Columbia’s city government spent $165.9 million on day-to-day services in the year to September 30, 2024, about $1,290 per resident. Water and other utilities ($151.9 million) and the airport ($3.6 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Columbia is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$1,212 per resident in 2022: more than 89% of them
Columbia’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,212 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 482 Missouri cities that don’t run their own schools: the median was $442, and the middle half spent $188–$812. Columbia spent more than 89% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($27.5 million), as the Census Bureau counts them. Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →
Missouri cities that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Columbia itself left out).
About $1,290 per resident a year, or $3.53 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 18%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is up 10% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Columbia reported to the Census Bureau. Prices rose too: about 4% a year in 2022–2024.
Day-to-day spending by fiscal year
Per resident: 2022: $1,212 · 2023: $1,219 · 2024: $1,290.
full-time in March 2025, up from 1,328 in 2022.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $2,550 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.90% of the home’s value, vs 0.85% across Missouri.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Columbia’s rate.
Can I afford it? →The median bill homeowners report to the Census survey (bills of $10,000+ are reported as “$10,000+”). The effective rate is that bill ÷ the median home value: a rough guide, not the official tax rate.
Tax bills are one input to Columbia’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Columbia →
Who’s in charge in Columbia
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Columbia’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on como.gov ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 88 residents
On the payroll in March 2025, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (128,555).
By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2025
The Census reports one month’s payroll (March); yearly figures are that month × 12, an estimate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.
Columbia 93 School District
Columbia’s K–12 school district, shared with Huntsdale, McBaine, Pierpont. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $14,650 per pupil, $7,478 goes to the classroom (teachers, aides, supplies); the rest to buses, buildings, counselors and administration. Building projects and debt payments aren’t in the per-pupil figure.
Missouri districts overall: 54% local, 35% state, 11% federal.
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Columbia’s votes are counted by county
Missouri reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Columbia alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Boone County’s results.
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat53.8%48,452 votes
Donald J TrumpRepublican44.0%39,673 votesOthers: 2.2% (1,985 votes).
Most votes in Boone County: Kamala D Harris
Missouri: Trump 58.5%, Harris 40.1%
100% of Columbia lies in Boone County. Every 2024 race in Boone County is on the county’s page.
Boone County’s 2024 results →Official 2024 general election returns, as certified (MIT Election Data + Science Lab). Percentages are of votes for candidates; blank and spoiled ballots aren’t counted. Candidates are listed by votes, and party colors are neutral on purpose.
Portraits: Kamala D Harris: official vice-presidential portrait, Lawrence Jackson, The White House, 2021; Donald J Trump: official portrait, Shealah Craighead, The White House, 2017. All are U.S. government works in the public domain. A race shows photos only when every candidate has an official portrait; otherwise every candidate in it gets initials.
From town hall to Washington
Columbia sends 4 representatives to the Missouri House alone.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: como.gov ↗
- 2Missouri HouseColumbia is split between 4 districts
- 3Missouri SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseSplit between districts
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Missouri
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
Reach Columbia’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Columbia’s government
How much does Columbia spend per resident?
About $1,290 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to September 30, 2024, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $1,212 was more than 89% of 482 Missouri cities that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Columbia?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $2,550 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.90% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.85% across Missouri. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see como.gov.
Who runs Columbia’s government?
See como.gov for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Columbia yet.
How did Columbia vote in 2024?
Missouri counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Columbia alone. Boone County, where 100% of Columbia lies, voted Harris 53.8%, Trump 44.0% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Columbia?
1,461 full-time and 272 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $9.4M (about $113.2M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Columbia in the state legislature?
Columbia is split among 4 State House districts, so your address decides. The Missouri Legislature’s lookup finds yours. Its State Senate district is District 19 (Stephen Webber). Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Columbia’s government
Neighbors who’ve been to the meetings can help.
Budget and staff: U.S. Census Bureau, Census of Governments (2022, every government) and Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances (2023–24, a sample) and the Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll; day-to-day spending is current operations, with hospitals, utilities and airports apart. School district: Census school finance survey, 2023–24. Property tax: Census American Community Survey, 2020–24. Elections: official 2024 returns via the MIT Election Data + Science Lab; turnout uses Census citizen voting-age population (CVAP, 2020–24). Officials: Open States, names shown only with a current term (checked October 9, 2026). Districts: Census Bureau (119th Congress, 2024 state districts); legislators: Open States and congress-legislators. How Town Hall works →