Kansas City, MO vs Baltimore, MD
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Baltimore, MD outspends Kansas City, MO by a wide margin per resident — $67,935 versus $22,820, a 198% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
Baltimore, MD holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 70/100 (grade B) against 52/100 (grade C) for Kansas City, MO — a 18-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
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: Kansas City, MO leads with parks and recreation at $1,309 per resident, while Baltimore, MD leads with education at $35,510.
They also fund themselves differently: other revenue is the largest single revenue source in Kansas City, MO at 835% of total revenue, whereas Baltimore, MD relies most on intergovernmental transfers at 7%.
Summary
Baltimore spends 66.4% more per capita than Kansas City ($45,115/person difference). Baltimore, MD has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 70/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $0 | $84 |
| Sales Tax | $623 | $55 |
| Income Tax | $0 | $375 |
| Intergovernmental | $7 | $5,085 |
| Charges & Fees | $3,794 | $2,192 |
| Other | $11,150 | $4,765 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $0 | $820 |
| Fire Protection | $119 | $1,214 |
| Highways & Roads | $0 | $676 |
| Education | $0 | $35,510 |
| Public Welfare | $3,018 | $714 |
| Health | $0 | $757 |
| Hospitals | $1,849 | $1,877 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,309 | $384 |
| Housing | $4,681 | $4,087 |
| Sewerage | $0 | $87 |
| Utilities | $3,123 | $3,809 |
| General Admin | $0 | $19 |
| Other | $8,721 | $17,981 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.