Skip to main content
Data from U.S. Census Bureau · 2026 · Methodology
CitySpend

Kansas City, MO vs Columbus, OH

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

Summary

Kansas City spends 21.0% more per capita than Columbus ($3,962/person difference). Both cities share the same Fiscal Health Score.

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
Columbus, OH
Pop. 902,449
C
52/100
Budget Balance32
Debt Burden46
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency94
Revenue Diversity0
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Kansas City
Columbus
Total Spending
$11.5B
$17.0B
Spending / Capita
$22,820
$18,858
Total Revenue
$675.4M
$0
Revenue / Capita
$1,335
$0
Total Debt
$0
$1.0B
Debt / Capita
$0
$1,145
Population
505,958
902,449
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Kansas City$119
Columbus$1,016
Highways & Roads
Kansas City$0
Columbus$224
Parks & Recreation
Kansas City$1,309
Columbus$2,168

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

Kansas CityColumbus
Property Tax
$0
$10
Sales Tax
$623
$234
Income Tax
$0
$1
Intergovernmental
$7
$0
Charges & Fees
$3,794
$2,389
Other
$11,150
$5,248

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

Kansas CityColumbus
Fire Protection
$119
$1,016
Highways & Roads
$0
$224
Public Welfare
$3,018
$878
Hospitals
$1,849
$953
Parks & Recreation
$1,309
$2,168
Housing
$4,681
$4,303
Sewerage
$0
$1
Utilities
$3,123
$1,719
Other
$8,721
$7,595
C
Kansas City, MO
Fiscal Health Score: 52/100
Average fiscal health
C
Columbus, OH
Fiscal Health Score: 52/100
Average fiscal health

Compare More Cities