Kansas City, MO vs Philadelphia, PA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Philadelphia, PA outspends Kansas City, MO by a wide margin per resident — $56,272 versus $22,820, a 147% 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 Philadelphia, PA on the Fiscal Health Score by 7 points — 52/100 (grade C) to 45/100 (grade D). At a margin this narrow the grade is close enough that the factor-level detail matters more than the composite.
Kansas City, MO reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Philadelphia, PA carries $1,069 per resident. 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 Philadelphia, PA leads with fire protection at $7,082.
They also fund themselves differently: other revenue is the largest single revenue source in Kansas City, MO at 835% of total revenue, whereas Philadelphia, PA relies most on intergovernmental transfers at 16%.
Summary
Philadelphia spends 59.4% more per capita than Kansas City ($33,452/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)
| Sales Tax | $623 | $107 |
| Income Tax | $0 | $8 |
| Intergovernmental | $7 | $6,288 |
| Charges & Fees | $3,794 | $2,790 |
| Other | $11,150 | $4,029 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $0 | $1,505 |
| Fire Protection | $119 | $7,082 |
| Highways & Roads | $0 | $1,215 |
| Public Welfare | $3,018 | $1,456 |
| Health | $0 | $229 |
| Hospitals | $1,849 | $4,048 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,309 | $593 |
| Housing | $4,681 | $4,902 |
| Sewerage | $0 | $325 |
| Utilities | $3,123 | $4,222 |
| Interest on Debt | $0 | $3 |
| Other | $8,721 | $30,692 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.