Kansas City, MO vs San Antonio, TX
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Kansas City, MO spends 35% more per resident than San Antonio, TX: $22,820 against $16,943. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
San Antonio, TX holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 68/100 (grade B) against 52/100 (grade C) for Kansas City, MO — a 16-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
Kansas City, MO reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while San Antonio, TX carries $2,131 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 San Antonio, TX at $1,045.
They also fund themselves differently: other revenue is the largest single revenue source in Kansas City, MO at 835% of total revenue, whereas San Antonio, TX relies most on intergovernmental transfers at 17%.
Summary
Kansas City spends 34.7% more per capita than San Antonio ($5,877/person difference). San Antonio, TX has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 68/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $0 | $9 |
| Sales Tax | $623 | $293 |
| Income Tax | $0 | $1,000 |
| Intergovernmental | $7 | $14,312 |
| Charges & Fees | $3,794 | $4,025 |
| Other | $11,150 | $3,184 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $119 | $396 |
| Highways & Roads | $0 | $158 |
| Education | $0 | $23 |
| Public Welfare | $3,018 | $1,188 |
| Health | $0 | $293 |
| Hospitals | $1,849 | $993 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,309 | $1,045 |
| Housing | $4,681 | $3,570 |
| Sewerage | $0 | $100 |
| Utilities | $3,123 | $3,826 |
| Other | $8,721 | $5,352 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.