Kansas City, MO vs Columbus, OH
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Kansas City, MO spends 21% more per resident than Columbus, OH: $22,820 against $18,858. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
On the CitySpend Fiscal Health Score the two are level: Kansas City, MO and Columbus, OH both land at 52/100 (grade C and C respectively), so the deciding factors sit in the underlying six-factor breakdown rather than the rolled-up grade.
Kansas City, MO reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Columbus, OH carries $1,145 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 Columbus, OH at $2,168.
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
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| 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)
| 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 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.