Kansas City, MO vs Detroit, MI
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Detroit, MI spends 36% more per resident than Kansas City, MO: $31,087 against $22,820. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Detroit, MI holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 69/100 (grade B) against 52/100 (grade C) for Kansas City, MO — a 17-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
Kansas City, MO reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Detroit, MI carries $776 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 Detroit, MI leads with fire protection at $2,429.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on other revenue — 835% of total revenue in Kansas City, MO and 15% in Detroit, MI.
Summary
Detroit spends 26.6% more per capita than Kansas City ($8,268/person difference). Detroit, MI has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 69/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $0 | $44 |
| Sales Tax | $623 | $200 |
| Income Tax | $0 | $1,045 |
| Intergovernmental | $7 | $291 |
| Charges & Fees | $3,794 | $2,228 |
| Other | $11,150 | $6,892 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $119 | $2,429 |
| Public Welfare | $3,018 | $833 |
| Health | $0 | $396 |
| Hospitals | $1,849 | $2,217 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,309 | $950 |
| Housing | $4,681 | $5,791 |
| Sewerage | $0 | $451 |
| Utilities | $3,123 | $2,737 |
| Interest on Debt | $0 | $2,068 |
| Other | $8,721 | $13,216 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.