Kansas City, MO vs Phoenix, AZ
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Kansas City, MO spends 44% more per resident than Phoenix, AZ: $22,820 against $15,793. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Phoenix, AZ holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 67/100 (grade B) against 52/100 (grade C) for Kansas City, MO — a 15-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
Kansas City, MO reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Phoenix, AZ carries $1,156 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 Phoenix, AZ at $652.
They also fund themselves differently: other revenue is the largest single revenue source in Kansas City, MO at 835% of total revenue, whereas Phoenix, AZ relies most on intergovernmental transfers at 100%.
Summary
Kansas City spends 44.5% more per capita than Phoenix ($7,027/person difference). Phoenix, AZ has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 67/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $0 | $7 |
| Sales Tax | $623 | $338 |
| Income Tax | $0 | $1,260 |
| Intergovernmental | $7 | $50,709 |
| Charges & Fees | $3,794 | $2,998 |
| Other | $11,150 | $2,038 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $119 | $170 |
| Highways & Roads | $0 | $86 |
| Education | $0 | $214 |
| Public Welfare | $3,018 | $507 |
| Health | $0 | $258 |
| Hospitals | $1,849 | $1,521 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,309 | $652 |
| Housing | $4,681 | $3,879 |
| Sewerage | $0 | $388 |
| Utilities | $3,123 | $2,480 |
| Interest on Debt | $0 | $1,760 |
| Other | $8,721 | $3,878 |
Compare More Cities
Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.