Kansas City, MO vs St. Joseph, MO
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Kansas City, MO outspends St. Joseph, MO by a wide margin per resident — $22,820 versus $10,772, a 112% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
St. Joseph, MO holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 80/100 (grade A) against 52/100 (grade C) for Kansas City, MO — a 28-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 St. Joseph, MO at $1,000.
They also fund themselves differently: other revenue is the largest single revenue source in Kansas City, MO at 835% of total revenue, whereas St. Joseph, MO relies most on intergovernmental transfers at 100%.
Summary
Kansas City spends 111.8% more per capita than St. Joseph ($12,047/person difference). St. Joseph, MO has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 80/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $0 | $30 |
| Sales Tax | $623 | $365 |
| Income Tax | $0 | $876 |
| Intergovernmental | $7 | $14,823 |
| Charges & Fees | $3,794 | $0 |
| Other | $11,150 | $5,785 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $119 | $489 |
| Public Welfare | $3,018 | $1,015 |
| Hospitals | $1,849 | $288 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,309 | $1,000 |
| Housing | $4,681 | $2,681 |
| Utilities | $3,123 | $416 |
| Interest on Debt | $0 | $804 |
| Other | $8,721 | $4,079 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.