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

Kansas City, MO vs Colorado Springs, CO

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

Reviewed by CitySpend Editorial Team · Updated

Kansas City, MO outspends Colorado Springs, CO by a wide margin per resident — $22,820 versus $13,222, a 73% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.

Colorado Springs, CO edges Kansas City, MO on the Fiscal Health Score by 7 points — 59/100 (grade C) to 52/100 (grade C). At a margin this narrow the grade is close enough that the factor-level detail matters more than the composite.

Kansas City, MO reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Colorado Springs, CO carries $3,063 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 Colorado Springs, CO leads with fire protection at $1,266.

They also fund themselves differently: other revenue is the largest single revenue source in Kansas City, MO at 835% of total revenue, whereas Colorado Springs, CO relies most on intergovernmental transfers at 13%.

Summary

Kansas City spends 72.6% more per capita than Colorado Springs ($9,597/person difference). Colorado Springs, CO has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 59/100).

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
Colorado Springs, CO
Pop. 479,612
C
59/100
Budget Balance54
Debt Burden0
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Kansas City
Colorado Springs
Total Spending
$11.5B
$6.3B
Spending / Capita
$22,820
$13,222
Total Revenue
$675.4M
$25.3B
Revenue / Capita
$1,335
$52,777
Total Debt
$0
$1.5B
Debt / Capita
$0
$3,063
Population
505,958
479,612
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Kansas City$119
Colorado Springs$1,266
Parks & Recreation
Kansas City$1,309
Colorado Springs$376

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

Kansas CityColorado Springs
Sales Tax
$623
$257
Intergovernmental
$7
$6,902
Charges & Fees
$3,794
$5,676
Other
$11,150
$2,678

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

Kansas CityColorado Springs
Fire Protection
$119
$1,266
Public Welfare
$3,018
$575
Hospitals
$1,849
$416
Parks & Recreation
$1,309
$376
Housing
$4,681
$2,713
Utilities
$3,123
$2,566
Interest on Debt
$0
$190
Other
$8,721
$5,120
C
Kansas City, MO
Fiscal Health Score: 52/100
Average fiscal health
C
Colorado Springs, CO
Fiscal Health Score: 59/100
Average fiscal health

Compare More Cities

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