Houston, TX vs Kansas City, MO
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Kansas City, MO spends 58% more per resident than Houston, TX: $22,820 against $14,400. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Houston, TX holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 83/100 (grade A) against 52/100 (grade C) for Kansas City, MO — a 31-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
Kansas City, MO reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Houston, TX carries $863 per resident. Both cities pour the most per-resident dollars into the same function: parks and recreation leads in Houston, TX at $361 per resident and in Kansas City, MO at $1,309.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on other revenue — 7% of total revenue in Houston, TX and 835% in Kansas City, MO.
Summary
Kansas City spends 36.9% more per capita than Houston ($8,420/person difference). Houston, TX has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 83/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Sales Tax | $181 | $623 |
| Income Tax | $39 | $0 |
| Intergovernmental | $33 | $7 |
| Charges & Fees | $3,475 | $3,794 |
| Other | $3,960 | $11,150 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $295 | $119 |
| Highways & Roads | $175 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $533 | $3,018 |
| Health | $210 | $0 |
| Hospitals | $511 | $1,849 |
| Parks & Recreation | $361 | $1,309 |
| Housing | $4,288 | $4,681 |
| Sewerage | $386 | $0 |
| Utilities | $1,339 | $3,123 |
| Other | $6,301 | $8,721 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.