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

Kansas City, MO vs Albuquerque, NM

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

Reviewed by CitySpend Editorial Team · Updated

Kansas City, MO spends 32% more per resident than Albuquerque, NM: $22,820 against $17,237. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.

Albuquerque, NM holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 81/100 (grade A) against 52/100 (grade C) for Kansas City, MO — a 29-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.

Kansas City, MO reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Albuquerque, NM carries $613 per resident. Both cities pour the most per-resident dollars into the same function: parks and recreation leads in Kansas City, MO at $1,309 per resident and in Albuquerque, NM at $1,990.

They also fund themselves differently: other revenue is the largest single revenue source in Kansas City, MO at 835% of total revenue, whereas Albuquerque, NM relies most on charges and fees at 11%.

Summary

Kansas City spends 32.4% more per capita than Albuquerque ($5,582/person difference). Albuquerque, NM has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 81/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
Kansas City, MO
Pop. 505,958
C
52/100
Budget Balance1
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency76
Revenue Diversity0
Trend Direction50
City B
Albuquerque, NM
Pop. 562,551
A
81/100
Budget Balance68
Debt Burden94
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Kansas City
Albuquerque
Total Spending
$11.5B
$9.7B
Spending / Capita
$22,820
$17,237
Total Revenue
$675.4M
$13.3B
Revenue / Capita
$1,335
$23,652
Total Debt
$0
$344.9M
Debt / Capita
$0
$613
Population
505,958
562,551
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Kansas City$119
Albuquerque$440
Highways & Roads
Kansas City$0
Albuquerque$172
Parks & Recreation
Kansas City$1,309
Albuquerque$1,990
Health
Kansas City$0
Albuquerque$291

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

Kansas CityAlbuquerque
Property Tax
$0
$36
Sales Tax
$623
$355
Income Tax
$0
$1,580
Intergovernmental
$7
$1,897
Charges & Fees
$3,794
$2,633
Other
$11,150
$2,174

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

Kansas CityAlbuquerque
Fire Protection
$119
$440
Highways & Roads
$0
$172
Public Welfare
$3,018
$419
Health
$0
$291
Hospitals
$1,849
$328
Parks & Recreation
$1,309
$1,990
Housing
$4,681
$4,080
Utilities
$3,123
$5,212
Interest on Debt
$0
$1,096
Other
$8,721
$3,209
C
Kansas City, MO
Fiscal Health Score: 52/100
Average fiscal health
A
Albuquerque, NM
Fiscal Health Score: 81/100
Excellent fiscal health

Compare More Cities

Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.