Kansas City, MO vs Charlotte, NC
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Kansas City, MO spends 44% more per resident than Charlotte, NC: $22,820 against $15,854. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Charlotte, NC holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 63/100 (grade C) against 52/100 (grade C) for Kansas City, MO — a 11-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
Kansas City, MO reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Charlotte, NC carries $2,690 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 Charlotte, NC at $1,571.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on other revenue — 835% of total revenue in Kansas City, MO and 10% in Charlotte, NC.
Summary
Kansas City spends 43.9% more per capita than Charlotte ($6,966/person difference). Charlotte, NC has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 63/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Sales Tax | $623 | $541 |
| Income Tax | $0 | $366 |
| Intergovernmental | $7 | $1,859 |
| Charges & Fees | $3,794 | $2,459 |
| Other | $11,150 | $4,866 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $119 | $463 |
| Highways & Roads | $0 | $41 |
| Public Welfare | $3,018 | $672 |
| Hospitals | $1,849 | $1,243 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,309 | $1,571 |
| Housing | $4,681 | $3,944 |
| Utilities | $3,123 | $2,244 |
| Interest on Debt | $0 | $2,226 |
| Other | $8,721 | $3,448 |
Compare More Cities
Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.