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

Kansas City, MO vs Independence, MO

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

Summary

Kansas City spends 179.1% more per capita than Independence ($14,644/person difference). Independence, MO has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 80/100).

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
Independence, MO
Pop. 122,218
A
80/100
Budget Balance100
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity0
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Kansas City
Independence
Total Spending
$11.5B
$999.2M
Spending / Capita
$22,820
$8,176
Total Revenue
$675.4M
$4.7B
Revenue / Capita
$1,335
$38,346
Total Debt
$0
$0
Debt / Capita
$0
$0
Population
505,958
122,218
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Kansas City$119
Independence$39
Parks & Recreation
Kansas City$1,309
Independence$611

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

Kansas CityIndependence
Property Tax
$0
$1
Sales Tax
$623
$480
Intergovernmental
$7
$38,346
Charges & Fees
$3,794
$2,807
Other
$11,150
$3,970

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

Kansas CityIndependence
Fire Protection
$119
$39
Public Welfare
$3,018
$345
Hospitals
$1,849
$406
Parks & Recreation
$1,309
$611
Housing
$4,681
$2,769
Utilities
$3,123
$1,599
Other
$8,721
$2,407
C
Kansas City, MO
Fiscal Health Score: 52/100
Average fiscal health
A
Independence, MO
Fiscal Health Score: 80/100
Excellent fiscal health

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