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

Detroit, MI vs Wichita, KS

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

Summary

Detroit spends 289.3% more per capita than Wichita ($23,101/person difference). Wichita, KS has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 90/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
Detroit, MI
Pop. 636,787
B
69/100
Budget Balance70
Debt Burden79
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency38
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
City B
Wichita, KS
Pop. 395,951
A
90/100
Budget Balance100
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Detroit
Wichita
Total Spending
$19.8B
$3.2B
Spending / Capita
$31,087
$7,986
Total Revenue
$28.4B
$10.7B
Revenue / Capita
$44,533
$27,057
Total Debt
$493.9M
$52.2M
Debt / Capita
$776
$132
Population
636,787
395,951
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Detroit$2,429
Wichita$152
Highways & Roads
Detroit$0
Wichita$126
Parks & Recreation
Detroit$950
Wichita$874
Education
Detroit$0
Wichita$2
Health
Detroit$396
Wichita$254

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

DetroitWichita
Property Tax
$44
$0
Sales Tax
$200
$246
Income Tax
$1,045
$57
Intergovernmental
$291
$3,895
Charges & Fees
$2,228
$3,193
Other
$6,892
$2,783

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

DetroitWichita
Fire Protection
$2,429
$152
Highways & Roads
$0
$126
Education
$0
$2
Public Welfare
$833
$441
Health
$396
$254
Hospitals
$2,217
$113
Parks & Recreation
$950
$874
Housing
$5,791
$2,618
Sewerage
$451
$0
Utilities
$2,737
$1,225
Interest on Debt
$2,068
$70
Other
$13,216
$2,111
B
Detroit, MI
Fiscal Health Score: 69/100
Good fiscal health
A
Wichita, KS
Fiscal Health Score: 90/100
Excellent fiscal health

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