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

Kansas City, MO vs Mesa, AZ

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

Summary

Kansas City spends 78.7% more per capita than Mesa ($10,052/person difference). Mesa, AZ has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 90/100).

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
Mesa, AZ
Pop. 503,390
A
90/100
Budget Balance100
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Kansas City
Mesa
Total Spending
$11.5B
$6.4B
Spending / Capita
$22,820
$12,768
Total Revenue
$675.4M
$18.0B
Revenue / Capita
$1,335
$35,688
Total Debt
$0
$236.3M
Debt / Capita
$0
$469
Population
505,958
503,390
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Kansas City$119
Mesa$422
Highways & Roads
Kansas City$0
Mesa$192
Parks & Recreation
Kansas City$1,309
Mesa$953
Health
Kansas City$0
Mesa$147

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

Kansas CityMesa
Property Tax
$0
$47
Sales Tax
$623
$463
Income Tax
$0
$1,376
Intergovernmental
$7
$1,383
Charges & Fees
$3,794
$3,334
Other
$11,150
$2,253

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

Kansas CityMesa
Fire Protection
$119
$422
Highways & Roads
$0
$192
Public Welfare
$3,018
$829
Health
$0
$147
Hospitals
$1,849
$537
Parks & Recreation
$1,309
$953
Housing
$4,681
$4,190
Sewerage
$0
$38
Utilities
$3,123
$2,376
Other
$8,721
$3,082
C
Kansas City, MO
Fiscal Health Score: 52/100
Average fiscal health
A
Mesa, AZ
Fiscal Health Score: 90/100
Excellent fiscal health

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