Fresno, CA vs Kansas City, MO
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Fresno, CA outspends Kansas City, MO by a wide margin per resident — $43,387 versus $22,820, a 90% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
Kansas City, MO edges Fresno, CA on the Fiscal Health Score by 2 points — 52/100 (grade C) to 50/100 (grade C). At a margin this narrow the grade is close enough that the factor-level detail matters more than the composite.
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: Fresno, CA leads with education at $3,942 per resident, while Kansas City, MO leads with parks and recreation at $1,309.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on other revenue — 19% of total revenue in Fresno, CA and 835% in Kansas City, MO.
Summary
Fresno spends 90.1% more per capita than Kansas City ($20,567/person difference). Kansas City, MO has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 52/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $337 | $0 |
| Sales Tax | $19 | $623 |
| Income Tax | $501 | $0 |
| Intergovernmental | -$4,470 | $7 |
| Charges & Fees | $11 | $3,794 |
| Other | $2,070 | $11,150 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $3,261 | $0 |
| Fire Protection | $568 | $119 |
| Education | $3,942 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $1,946 | $3,018 |
| Health | $599 | $0 |
| Hospitals | $0 | $1,849 |
| Parks & Recreation | $76 | $1,309 |
| Housing | $2,856 | $4,681 |
| Utilities | $15,340 | $3,123 |
| Interest on Debt | $255 | $0 |
| Other | $14,545 | $8,721 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.