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Data from U.S. Census Bureau · 2026 · Methodology
CitySpend

St. Louis, MO

Population: 298,018 (2022) · Large Cities (250K+)

B
75/100

Good fiscal health — above-average across most metrics

Total Spending
$5.3B
Per Capita
$17,927
Total Revenue
$4.3B
Total Debt
$0

Spending Breakdown

Housing & Community Development
31.6%$1.7B
Other
25.8%$1.4B
Utilities
13.7%$732.2M
Public Welfare
10.0%$534.4M
Parks & Recreation
5.9%$313.9M
Highways & Roads
4.3%$229.9M
Fire Protection
3.8%$201.7M
Hospitals
2.5%$132.7M
Sewerage
2.4%$130.0M

Spending data sourced from the Census Bureau's Annual Survey of State & Local Government Finances. Per-capita comparisons use the Lincoln Institute's Fiscally Standardized Cities methodology for fair cross-city benchmarking.

Revenue Sources

Property Tax
0.4%$17.2M
Sales Tax
1.3%$57.1M
Income Tax
0.3%$14.8M
Intergovernmental
39.2%$1.7B
Charges & Fees
0.8%$35.7M
Other
30.6%$1.3B

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection$677/person
Highways & Roads$772/person
Parks & Recreation$1,053/person

Score Breakdown

Budget Balance & Reserves (25%)54/100
Debt Burden (20%)100/100
Pension Funding (20%)76/100
Spending Efficiency (15%)98/100
Revenue Diversity (10%)70/100
Trend Direction (10%)50/100

Compare Cities

See how St. Louis stacks up against another city.

vs Kansas City, MOvs Springfield, MOvs Columbia, MO
Data source: U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances (2023). Population from American Community Survey.

Other Cities in Missouri

Kansas City, MO

Pop. 506K

C
Total Spending
$11.5B
Per Capita
$22,820

Springfield, MO

Pop. 169K

A
Total Spending
$2.7B
Per Capita
$15,703

Columbia, MO

Pop. 126K

B
Total Spending
$1.7B
Per Capita
$13,757

Independence, MO

Pop. 122K

A
Total Spending
$999.2M
Per Capita
$8,176

Compare St. Louis With

Kansas City, MO

Spending: $22,820/person · Grade: C

Springfield, MO

Spending: $15,703/person · Grade: A

Columbia, MO

Spending: $13,757/person · Grade: B

Independence, MO

Spending: $8,176/person · Grade: A

Frequently Asked Questions

St. Louis, MO spends $17,927 per resident, based on total expenditures of $5.3B for a population of 298,018. The city has a Fiscal Health Score of B (75/100).

St. Louis, MO has total expenditures of $5.3B and total revenue of $4.3B. The city carries $0 in total debt, based on Census Bureau data from 2023.

St. Louis, MO employs 0 government workers, of which 0 are full-time. The average government salary is $0, with 0.0 employees per 10,000 residents.

St. Louis, MO has a Fiscal Health Score of B (75/100). This score evaluates budget balance, debt burden, pension funding, spending efficiency, revenue diversity, and 3-year fiscal trajectory compared to peer cities of similar population.

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