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Data from U.S. Census Bureau · 2026 · Methodology
CitySpend

Kansas City, MO vs St. Louis, MO

Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)

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

City A
Kansas City, MO
Pop. 505,958
C
52/100
Budget Balance1
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency76
Revenue Diversity0
Trend Direction50
City B
St. Louis, MO
Pop. 298,018
B
75/100
Budget Balance54
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency98
Revenue Diversity70
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Kansas City
St. Louis
Total Spending
$11.5B
$5.3B
Spending / Capita
$22,820
$17,927
Total Revenue
$675.4M
$4.3B
Revenue / Capita
$1,335
$14,322
Total Debt
$0
$0
Debt / Capita
$0
$0
Population
505,958
298,018
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Kansas City$119
St. Louis$677
Highways & Roads
Kansas City$0
St. Louis$772
Parks & Recreation
Kansas City$1,309
St. Louis$1,053

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

Kansas CitySt. Louis
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)

Kansas CitySt. Louis
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
C
Kansas City, MO
Fiscal Health Score: 52/100
Average fiscal health
B
St. Louis, MO
Fiscal Health Score: 75/100
Good fiscal health

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