Columbus lands at number 20 on a new national ranking of the most efficiently managed cities in America.
🏆 Why It Matters: Your tax dollars are working harder here than in most places across the country. The ranking shows Columbus delivers quality city services without breaking the bank.
📊 What’s Happening: WalletHub analyzed 148 of the largest cities nationwide to see which ones run most efficiently. The study looked at 36 different measures of city performance across six major service areas. Researchers then compared those service quality scores against each city’s spending per resident.
🔍 Between the Lines: Columbus outperformed much larger cities to crack the top 20. The ranking puts Columbus ahead of major metropolitan areas that spend significantly more per person on city operations.
Only 19 cities nationwide scored higher for getting the most bang for their buck.
🌟 The Big Picture: Western cities dominated the top spots, with Provo Utah taking first place. Southern cities like Columbus prove you don’t need massive budgets to deliver quality services.
The study comes as local governments nationwide face pressure from inflation and other economic challenges while residents demand efficient use of tax dollars.
Before You Dismiss This Article…
We live in a time when information feels overwhelming, but here’s what hasn’t changed: facts exist whether they comfort us or not.
When A&W launched their third-pound burger to compete with McDonald’s Quarter Pounder in the 1980s, it failed spectacularly. Not because it tasted worse, but because customers thought 1/3 was smaller than 1/4. If basic math can trip us up, imagine how easily we can misread complex news.
The press isn’t against you when it reports something you don’t want to hear. Reporters are thermometers, not the fever itself. They’re telling you what verified sources are saying, not taking sides. Good reporting should challenge you — that’s literally the job.
Next time a story makes you angry, pause. Ask yourself: What evidence backs this up? Am I reacting with my brain or my gut? What would actually change my mind? And most importantly, am I assuming bias just because the story doesn’t match what I hoped to hear.
Smart readers choose verified information over their own comfort zone.
B.T. Clark
B.T. Clark is an award-winning journalist and the Publisher of The Georgia Sun. He has 25 years of experience in journalism and served as Managing Editor of Neighbor Newspapers in metro Atlanta for 15 years and Digital Director at Times-Journal Inc. for 8 years. His work has appeared in several newspapers throughout the state including Neighbor Newspapers, The Cherokee Tribune and The Marietta Daily Journal. He is a Georgia native and a fifth-generation Georgian.
