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

Independence, MO vs St. Louis, MO

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

Summary

St. Louis spends 54.4% more per capita than Independence ($9,751/person difference). Independence, MO has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 80/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
Independence, MO
Pop. 122,218
A
80/100
Budget Balance100
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity0
Trend Direction50
City B
St. Louis, MO
Pop. 298,018
B
75/100
Budget Balance54
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency98
Revenue Diversity70
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Independence
St. Louis
Total Spending
$999.2M
$5.3B
Spending / Capita
$8,176
$17,927
Total Revenue
$4.7B
$4.3B
Revenue / Capita
$38,346
$14,322
Total Debt
$0
$0
Debt / Capita
$0
$0
Population
122,218
298,018
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Independence$39
St. Louis$677
Highways & Roads
Independence$0
St. Louis$772
Parks & Recreation
Independence$611
St. Louis$1,053

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

IndependenceSt. Louis
Property Tax
$1
$58
Sales Tax
$480
$192
Income Tax
$0
$50
Intergovernmental
$38,346
$5,609
Charges & Fees
$2,807
$120
Other
$3,970
$4,382

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

IndependenceSt. Louis
Fire Protection
$39
$677
Highways & Roads
$0
$772
Public Welfare
$345
$1,793
Hospitals
$406
$445
Parks & Recreation
$611
$1,053
Housing
$2,769
$5,667
Sewerage
$0
$436
Utilities
$1,599
$2,457
Other
$2,407
$4,627
A
Independence, MO
Fiscal Health Score: 80/100
Excellent fiscal health
B
St. Louis, MO
Fiscal Health Score: 75/100
Good fiscal health

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