Colorado Springs, CO vs Wichita, KS
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Colorado Springs, CO outspends Wichita, KS by a wide margin per resident — $13,222 versus $7,986, a 66% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
Wichita, KS holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 90/100 (grade A) against 59/100 (grade C) for Colorado Springs, CO — a 31-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
On debt, Wichita, KS carries the lighter load at $132 per resident versus $3,063 for Colorado Springs, CO. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Colorado Springs, CO leads with fire protection at $1,266 per resident, while Wichita, KS leads with parks and recreation at $874.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 13% of total revenue in Colorado Springs, CO and 14% in Wichita, KS.
Summary
Colorado Springs spends 65.6% more per capita than Wichita ($5,237/person difference). Wichita, KS has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 90/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Sales Tax | $257 | $246 |
| Income Tax | $0 | $57 |
| Intergovernmental | $6,902 | $3,895 |
| Charges & Fees | $5,676 | $3,193 |
| Other | $2,678 | $2,783 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $1,266 | $152 |
| Highways & Roads | $0 | $126 |
| Education | $0 | $2 |
| Public Welfare | $575 | $441 |
| Health | $0 | $254 |
| Hospitals | $416 | $113 |
| Parks & Recreation | $376 | $874 |
| Housing | $2,713 | $2,618 |
| Utilities | $2,566 | $1,225 |
| Interest on Debt | $190 | $70 |
| Other | $5,120 | $2,111 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.