Kansas City, MO vs Houston, TX
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Kansas City, MO spends 58% more per resident than Houston, TX: $22,820 against $14,400. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Houston, TX holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 83/100 (grade A) against 52/100 (grade C) for Kansas City, MO — a 31-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
Kansas City, MO reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Houston, TX carries $863 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 Houston, TX at $361.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on other revenue — 835% of total revenue in Kansas City, MO and 7% in Houston, TX.
Summary
Kansas City spends 58.5% more per capita than Houston ($8,420/person difference). Houston, TX has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 83/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Sales Tax | $623 | $181 |
| Income Tax | $0 | $39 |
| Intergovernmental | $7 | $33 |
| Charges & Fees | $3,794 | $3,475 |
| Other | $11,150 | $3,960 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $119 | $295 |
| Highways & Roads | $0 | $175 |
| Public Welfare | $3,018 | $533 |
| Health | $0 | $210 |
| Hospitals | $1,849 | $511 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,309 | $361 |
| Housing | $4,681 | $4,288 |
| Sewerage | $0 | $386 |
| Utilities | $3,123 | $1,339 |
| Other | $8,721 | $6,301 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.