Boston, MA vs Kansas City, MO
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Boston, MA outspends Kansas City, MO by a wide margin per resident — $72,299 versus $22,820, a 217% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
Boston, MA edges Kansas City, MO on the Fiscal Health Score by 4 points — 56/100 (grade C) to 52/100 (grade C). At a margin this narrow the grade is close enough that the factor-level detail matters more than the composite.
Kansas City, MO reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Boston, MA carries $445 per resident. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Boston, MA leads with education at $30,742 per resident, while Kansas City, MO leads with parks and recreation at $1,309.
They also fund themselves differently: intergovernmental transfers is the largest single revenue source in Boston, MA at 17% of total revenue, whereas Kansas City, MO relies most on other revenue at 835%.
Summary
Boston spends 216.8% more per capita than Kansas City ($49,479/person difference). Boston, MA has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 56/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Sales Tax | $78 | $623 |
| Intergovernmental | $5,357 | $7 |
| Charges & Fees | $2,784 | $3,794 |
| Other | $4,557 | $11,150 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $1,107 | $119 |
| Highways & Roads | $594 | $0 |
| Education | $30,742 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $1,110 | $3,018 |
| Health | $725 | $0 |
| Hospitals | $2,584 | $1,849 |
| Parks & Recreation | $711 | $1,309 |
| Housing | $6,614 | $4,681 |
| Sewerage | $355 | $0 |
| Utilities | $3,402 | $3,123 |
| General Admin | $5,401 | $0 |
| Other | $18,955 | $8,721 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.