Kansas City, MO vs Fresno, CA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Fresno, CA outspends Kansas City, MO by a wide margin per resident — $43,387 versus $22,820, a 90% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
Kansas City, MO edges Fresno, CA on the Fiscal Health Score by 2 points — 52/100 (grade C) to 50/100 (grade C). At a margin this narrow the grade is close enough that the factor-level detail matters more than the composite.
Neither city reports outstanding debt per resident in its current Census filing, which removes debt service as a point of difference between them. 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 Fresno, CA leads with education at $3,942.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on other revenue — 835% of total revenue in Kansas City, MO and 19% in Fresno, CA.
Summary
Fresno spends 47.4% more per capita than Kansas City ($20,567/person difference). Kansas City, MO has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 52/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $0 | $337 |
| Sales Tax | $623 | $19 |
| Income Tax | $0 | $501 |
| Intergovernmental | $7 | -$4,470 |
| Charges & Fees | $3,794 | $11 |
| Other | $11,150 | $2,070 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $0 | $3,261 |
| Fire Protection | $119 | $568 |
| Education | $0 | $3,942 |
| Public Welfare | $3,018 | $1,946 |
| Health | $0 | $599 |
| Hospitals | $1,849 | $0 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,309 | $76 |
| Housing | $4,681 | $2,856 |
| Utilities | $3,123 | $15,340 |
| Interest on Debt | $0 | $255 |
| Other | $8,721 | $14,545 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.