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

Chicago, IL vs Kansas City, MO

Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)

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

City A
Chicago, IL
Pop. 2,721,914
C
61/100
Budget Balance100
Debt Burden61
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency22
Revenue Diversity0
Trend Direction50
City B
Kansas City, MO
Pop. 505,958
C
52/100
Budget Balance1
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency76
Revenue Diversity0
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Chicago
Kansas City
Total Spending
$94.0B
$11.5B
Spending / Capita
$34,551
$22,820
Total Revenue
$231.6B
$675.4M
Revenue / Capita
$85,083
$1,335
Total Debt
$2.7B
$0
Debt / Capita
$977
$0
Population
2,721,914
505,958
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Chicago$10,754
Kansas City$119
Highways & Roads
Chicago$930
Kansas City$0
Parks & Recreation
Chicago$122
Kansas City$1,309
Health
Chicago$426
Kansas City$0

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

ChicagoKansas City
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)

ChicagoKansas City
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
C
Chicago, IL
Fiscal Health Score: 61/100
Average fiscal health
C
Kansas City, MO
Fiscal Health Score: 52/100
Average fiscal health

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