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

Kansas City, MO vs Detroit, MI

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

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

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
Detroit, MI
Pop. 636,787
B
69/100
Budget Balance70
Debt Burden79
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency38
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Kansas City
Detroit
Total Spending
$11.5B
$19.8B
Spending / Capita
$22,820
$31,087
Total Revenue
$675.4M
$28.4B
Revenue / Capita
$1,335
$44,533
Total Debt
$0
$493.9M
Debt / Capita
$0
$776
Population
505,958
636,787
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Kansas City$119
Detroit$2,429
Parks & Recreation
Kansas City$1,309
Detroit$950
Health
Kansas City$0
Detroit$396

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

Kansas CityDetroit
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)

Kansas CityDetroit
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
C
Kansas City, MO
Fiscal Health Score: 52/100
Average fiscal health
B
Detroit, MI
Fiscal Health Score: 69/100
Good fiscal health

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