Chicago, IL vs Kansas City, MO
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Chicago, IL spends 51% more per resident than Kansas City, MO: $34,551 against $22,820. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Chicago, IL holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 61/100 (grade C) against 52/100 (grade C) for Kansas City, MO — a 9-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
Kansas City, MO reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Chicago, IL carries $977 per resident. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Chicago, IL leads with fire protection at $10,754 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 Chicago, IL at 100% of total revenue, whereas Kansas City, MO relies most on other revenue at 835%.
Summary
Chicago spends 51.4% more per capita than Kansas City ($11,732/person difference). Chicago, IL has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 61/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $26 | $0 |
| Sales Tax | $74 | $623 |
| Income Tax | $229 | $0 |
| Intergovernmental | $85,083 | $7 |
| Charges & Fees | $2,847 | $3,794 |
| Other | $3,463 | $11,150 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $10,754 | $119 |
| Highways & Roads | $930 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $1,858 | $3,018 |
| Health | $426 | $0 |
| Hospitals | $1,444 | $1,849 |
| Parks & Recreation | $122 | $1,309 |
| Housing | $6,520 | $4,681 |
| Sewerage | $129 | $0 |
| Utilities | $2,983 | $3,123 |
| Other | $9,385 | $8,721 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.