Photo: Paul Wasneski · Public domainColumbus spent more per resident in 2022 than 90% of similar cities
Columbus’ city government spent $1.8 billion on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, about $2,033 per resident. Water and other utilities ($196.5 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Columbus is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
Who’s in charge in Columbus
From public records with a current term; a name is hidden the day its term ends.
Council members and agencies: columbus.gov ↗
Columbus’ meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on columbus.gov ↗.
About $2,033 per resident a year, or $5.57 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 21%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$1,764 per resident in 2022: more than 90% of them
Columbus’ day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,764 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 515 Ohio cities that don’t run their own schools: the median was $672, and the middle half spent $374–$1,110. Columbus spent more than 90% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($170.9 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 →
Ohio cities that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Columbus itself left out).
Day-to-day spending is up 16% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Columbus 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: $1,764 · 2023: $1,895 · 2024: $2,033.
full-time in March 2025, up from 8,612 in 2022. Both are Census estimates.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $3,341 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.32% of the home’s value, vs 1.31% across Ohio.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Columbus’ 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 Columbus’ Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Columbus →
One full-time city employee for every 101 residents
On the payroll in March 2025, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll (a Census estimate). Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (907,971).
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.
Columbus City School District
Columbus’ K–12 school district, shared with Clinton Township, Valleyview. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $22,456 per pupil, $10,503 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.
Ohio districts overall: 53% local, 35% state, 12% federal.
South-Western City School District · $15,011 per pupil
Hilliard City School District · $15,449 per pupil
Groveport Madison Local School District · $15,553 per pupil
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Columbus’ votes are counted by county
Ohio reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Columbus alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Franklin County’s results.
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat63.7%380,518 votes
Donald J TrumpRepublican35.3%210,830 votesOthers: 1.0% (6,182 votes).
Most votes in Franklin County: Kamala D Harris
Ohio: Trump 55.1%, Harris 43.9%
97% of Columbus lies in Franklin County; the rest in Delaware County, Fairfield County. Every 2024 race in Franklin County is on the county’s page.
Franklin 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
Columbus sends 12 representatives to the Ohio House alone.
- 1Your cityMayorAndrew Gintheras listed by Open States, October 9, 2026
- 2Ohio HouseColumbus is split between 12 districts
- 3Ohio SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseSplit between districts
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Ohio
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
How Columbus compares with the towns next door
No neighbor is close in size, so the comparison above uses Ohio cities that don’t run their own schools. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Norwich Township | $382 | $6,996 |
| Jackson Township | $398 | $4,547 |
| Prairie Township | $616 | $3,504 |
| Madison Township | $622 | $3,807 |
| Hamilton Township | $722 | $2,541 |
| Plain Township | $727 | $10,000+ |
| Mifflin Township | estimate | $6,093 |
| Washington Township | estimate | $10,000+ |
| Blendon Township | estimate | $4,690 |
| Hilliard | estimate | $7,174 |
| Columbus | $1,764 | $3,341 |
Day-to-day spending in 2022, the last year every government was counted, for governments that reported it; hospital and utilities left out. Tax bill: the typical homeowner’s bill (Census ACS, 2020–24).
Reach Columbus’ government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Columbus’ government
How much does Columbus spend per resident?
About $2,033 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $1,764 was more than 90% of 515 Ohio cities that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Columbus?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $3,341 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.32% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.31% across Ohio. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see columbus.gov.
Who is the mayor of Columbus?
Andrew Ginther, as listed by Open States (checked October 9, 2026). The council and agencies are listed on columbus.gov.
How did Columbus vote in 2024?
Ohio counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Columbus alone. Franklin County, where 97% of Columbus lies, voted Harris 63.7%, Trump 35.3% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Columbus?
8,993 full-time and 804 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $74.1M (about $888.8M a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.
Who represents Columbus in the state legislature?
Columbus is split among 12 State House districts and 5 State Senate districts, so your address decides. The Ohio Legislature’s lookup finds yours. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Columbus’ 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 →