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

Houston, TX vs Kansas City, MO

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

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

City A
Houston, TX
Pop. 2,296,253
A
83/100
Budget Balance94
Debt Burden72
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity100
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
Houston
Kansas City
Total Spending
$33.1B
$11.5B
Spending / Capita
$14,400
$22,820
Total Revenue
$127.7B
$675.4M
Revenue / Capita
$55,600
$1,335
Total Debt
$2.0B
$0
Debt / Capita
$863
$0
Population
2,296,253
505,958
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Houston$295
Kansas City$119
Highways & Roads
Houston$175
Kansas City$0
Parks & Recreation
Houston$361
Kansas City$1,309
Health
Houston$210
Kansas City$0

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

HoustonKansas City
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)

HoustonKansas City
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
A
Houston, TX
Fiscal Health Score: 83/100
Excellent fiscal health
C
Kansas City, MO
Fiscal Health Score: 52/100
Average fiscal health

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