Kansas City, MO vs Fort Worth, TX
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Kansas City, MO spends 43% more per resident than Fort Worth, TX: $22,820 against $15,939. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Fort Worth, TX holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 63/100 (grade C) against 52/100 (grade C) for Kansas City, MO — a 11-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
Kansas City, MO reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Fort Worth, TX carries $1,921 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 Fort Worth, TX at $708.
They also fund themselves differently: other revenue is the largest single revenue source in Kansas City, MO at 835% of total revenue, whereas Fort Worth, TX relies most on intergovernmental transfers at 15%.
Summary
Kansas City spends 43.2% more per capita than Fort Worth ($6,880/person difference). Fort Worth, TX has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 63/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Sales Tax | $623 | $198 |
| Income Tax | $0 | $851 |
| Intergovernmental | $7 | $4,002 |
| Charges & Fees | $3,794 | $3,594 |
| Other | $11,150 | $3,439 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $119 | $156 |
| Highways & Roads | $0 | $317 |
| Public Welfare | $3,018 | $869 |
| Health | $0 | $235 |
| Hospitals | $1,849 | $1,680 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,309 | $708 |
| Housing | $4,681 | $4,217 |
| Sewerage | $0 | $267 |
| Utilities | $3,123 | $2,674 |
| Other | $8,721 | $4,817 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.