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

Columbia, MO vs Kansas City, MO

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

Summary

Kansas City spends 39.7% more per capita than Columbia ($9,062/person difference). Columbia, MO has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 71/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
Columbia, MO
Pop. 126,172
B
71/100
Budget Balance66
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency98
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
Columbia
Kansas City
Total Spending
$1.7B
$11.5B
Spending / Capita
$13,757
$22,820
Total Revenue
$3.0B
$675.4M
Revenue / Capita
$23,577
$1,335
Total Debt
$22.0M
$0
Debt / Capita
$175
$0
Population
126,172
505,958
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Columbia$355
Kansas City$119
Parks & Recreation
Columbia$1,099
Kansas City$1,309

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

ColumbiaKansas City
Sales Tax
$668
$623
Income Tax
$2,110
$0
Intergovernmental
$23,577
$7
Charges & Fees
$2,293
$3,794
Other
$2,632
$11,150

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

ColumbiaKansas City
Fire Protection
$355
$119
Public Welfare
$901
$3,018
Hospitals
$77
$1,849
Parks & Recreation
$1,099
$1,309
Housing
$1,692
$4,681
Utilities
$3,124
$3,123
Interest on Debt
$419
$0
Other
$6,091
$8,721
B
Columbia, MO
Fiscal Health Score: 71/100
Good fiscal health
C
Kansas City, MO
Fiscal Health Score: 52/100
Average fiscal health

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