Kansas City, MO vs St. Louis, MO
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Kansas City, MO spends 27% more per resident than St. Louis, MO: $22,820 against $17,927. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
St. Louis, MO holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 75/100 (grade B) against 52/100 (grade C) for Kansas City, MO — a 23-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. Louis, MO at $1,053.
They also fund themselves differently: other revenue is the largest single revenue source in Kansas City, MO at 835% of total revenue, whereas St. Louis, MO relies most on intergovernmental transfers at 39%.
Summary
Kansas City spends 27.3% more per capita than St. Louis ($4,893/person difference). St. Louis, MO has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 75/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $0 | $58 |
| Sales Tax | $623 | $192 |
| Income Tax | $0 | $50 |
| Intergovernmental | $7 | $5,609 |
| Charges & Fees | $3,794 | $120 |
| Other | $11,150 | $4,382 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $119 | $677 |
| Highways & Roads | $0 | $772 |
| Public Welfare | $3,018 | $1,793 |
| Hospitals | $1,849 | $445 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,309 | $1,053 |
| Housing | $4,681 | $5,667 |
| Sewerage | $0 | $436 |
| Utilities | $3,123 | $2,457 |
| Other | $8,721 | $4,627 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.