Kansas City, MO vs San Diego, CA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
San Diego, CA outspends Kansas City, MO by a wide margin per resident — $43,306 versus $22,820, a 90% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
San Diego, CA edges Kansas City, MO on the Fiscal Health Score by 1 points — 53/100 (grade C) to 52/100 (grade C). At a margin this narrow the grade is close enough that the factor-level detail matters more than the composite.
Neither city reports outstanding debt per resident in its current Census filing, which removes debt service as a point of difference between them. 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 San Diego, CA leads with police at $3,335.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on other revenue — 835% of total revenue in Kansas City, MO and 39% in San Diego, CA.
Summary
San Diego spends 47.3% more per capita than Kansas City ($20,487/person difference). San Diego, CA has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 53/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $0 | $124 |
| Sales Tax | $623 | $63 |
| Income Tax | $0 | $194 |
| Intergovernmental | $7 | $57 |
| Charges & Fees | $3,794 | $14 |
| Other | $11,150 | $3,801 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $0 | $3,335 |
| Fire Protection | $119 | $1,278 |
| Highways & Roads | $0 | $1,408 |
| Education | $0 | $2,005 |
| Public Welfare | $3,018 | $700 |
| Health | $0 | $411 |
| Hospitals | $1,849 | $0 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,309 | $436 |
| Housing | $4,681 | $4,476 |
| Sewerage | $0 | $43 |
| Utilities | $3,123 | $11,704 |
| Other | $8,721 | $17,509 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.