Kansas City, MO vs Springfield, MO
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Kansas City, MO spends 45% more per resident than Springfield, MO: $22,820 against $15,703. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Springfield, MO holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 82/100 (grade A) against 52/100 (grade C) for Kansas City, MO — a 30-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
Neither city reports outstanding debt per resident in its current Census filing, which removes debt service as a point of difference between them. 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 Springfield, MO at $2,552.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on other revenue — 835% of total revenue in Kansas City, MO and 11% in Springfield, MO.
Summary
Kansas City spends 45.3% more per capita than Springfield ($7,116/person difference). Springfield, MO has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 82/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Sales Tax | $623 | $827 |
| Income Tax | $0 | $822 |
| Intergovernmental | $7 | $1,035 |
| Charges & Fees | $3,794 | $3,451 |
| Other | $11,150 | $4,051 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $119 | $68 |
| Highways & Roads | $0 | $487 |
| Education | $0 | $1,123 |
| Public Welfare | $3,018 | $932 |
| Hospitals | $1,849 | $311 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,309 | $2,552 |
| Housing | $4,681 | $2,768 |
| Sewerage | $0 | $206 |
| Utilities | $3,123 | $2,850 |
| Interest on Debt | $0 | $805 |
| Other | $8,721 | $3,601 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.