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

Kansas City, MO vs Houston, TX

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

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

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
Houston, TX
Pop. 2,296,253
A
83/100
Budget Balance94
Debt Burden72
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Kansas City
Houston
Total Spending
$11.5B
$33.1B
Spending / Capita
$22,820
$14,400
Total Revenue
$675.4M
$127.7B
Revenue / Capita
$1,335
$55,600
Total Debt
$0
$2.0B
Debt / Capita
$0
$863
Population
505,958
2,296,253
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Kansas City$119
Houston$295
Highways & Roads
Kansas City$0
Houston$175
Parks & Recreation
Kansas City$1,309
Houston$361
Health
Kansas City$0
Houston$210

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

Kansas CityHouston
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)

Kansas CityHouston
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
C
Kansas City, MO
Fiscal Health Score: 52/100
Average fiscal health
A
Houston, TX
Fiscal Health Score: 83/100
Excellent fiscal health

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