El Paso, TX vs Kansas City, MO
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
El Paso, TX and Kansas City, MO spend within 6.3% of each other per resident — $24,259 versus $22,820 — so on the headline spending-per-capita measure the two cities are effectively neck and neck.
El Paso, TX 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.
Neither city reports outstanding debt per resident in its current Census filing, which removes debt service as a point of difference between them. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: El Paso, TX leads with police at $1,159 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 El Paso, TX at 10% of total revenue, whereas Kansas City, MO relies most on other revenue at 835%.
Summary
El Paso spends 6.3% more per capita than Kansas City ($1,439/person difference). El Paso, TX has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 61/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Sales Tax | $65 | $623 |
| Income Tax | $12 | $0 |
| Intergovernmental | $690 | $7 |
| Charges & Fees | $31 | $3,794 |
| Other | $550 | $11,150 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $1,159 | $0 |
| Fire Protection | $233 | $119 |
| Highways & Roads | $83 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $299 | $3,018 |
| Hospitals | $11 | $1,849 |
| Parks & Recreation | $151 | $1,309 |
| Housing | $958 | $4,681 |
| Sewerage | $6 | $0 |
| Utilities | $224 | $3,123 |
| Interest on Debt | $40 | $0 |
| General Admin | $17,951 | $0 |
| Other | $3,145 | $8,721 |
Compare More Cities
Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.