Kansas City, MO vs Chicago, IL
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Chicago, IL spends 51% more per resident than Kansas City, MO: $34,551 against $22,820. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Chicago, IL holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 61/100 (grade C) against 52/100 (grade C) for Kansas City, MO — a 9-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
Kansas City, MO reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Chicago, IL carries $977 per resident. 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 Chicago, IL leads with fire protection at $10,754.
They also fund themselves differently: other revenue is the largest single revenue source in Kansas City, MO at 835% of total revenue, whereas Chicago, IL relies most on intergovernmental transfers at 100%.
Summary
Chicago spends 34.0% more per capita than Kansas City ($11,732/person difference). Chicago, IL has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 61/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $0 | $26 |
| Sales Tax | $623 | $74 |
| Income Tax | $0 | $229 |
| Intergovernmental | $7 | $85,083 |
| Charges & Fees | $3,794 | $2,847 |
| Other | $11,150 | $3,463 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $119 | $10,754 |
| Highways & Roads | $0 | $930 |
| Public Welfare | $3,018 | $1,858 |
| Health | $0 | $426 |
| Hospitals | $1,849 | $1,444 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,309 | $122 |
| Housing | $4,681 | $6,520 |
| Sewerage | $0 | $129 |
| Utilities | $3,123 | $2,983 |
| Other | $8,721 | $9,385 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.