Blue Springs, MO vs St. Joseph, MO
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
St. Joseph, MO spends 34% more per resident than Blue Springs, MO: $10,772 against $8,040. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
On the CitySpend Fiscal Health Score the two are level: Blue Springs, MO and St. Joseph, MO both land at 80/100 (grade A and A respectively), so the deciding factors sit in the underlying six-factor breakdown rather than the rolled-up grade.
St. Joseph, MO reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Blue Springs, MO carries $40 per resident. Both cities pour the most per-resident dollars into the same function: parks and recreation leads in Blue Springs, MO at $1,041 per resident and in St. Joseph, MO at $1,000.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 100% of total revenue in Blue Springs, MO and 100% in St. Joseph, MO.
Summary
St. Joseph spends 25.4% more per capita than Blue Springs ($2,732/person difference). Both cities share the same Fiscal Health Score.
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $0 | $30 |
| Sales Tax | $472 | $365 |
| Income Tax | $0 | $876 |
| Intergovernmental | $16,987 | $14,823 |
| Charges & Fees | $1,766 | $0 |
| Other | $2,377 | $5,785 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $107 | $489 |
| Highways & Roads | $148 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $740 | $1,015 |
| Hospitals | $160 | $288 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,041 | $1,000 |
| Housing | $3,154 | $2,681 |
| Sewerage | $153 | $0 |
| Utilities | $1,593 | $416 |
| Interest on Debt | $0 | $804 |
| Other | $945 | $4,079 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.