Kansas City, MO vs Tulsa, OK
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Kansas City, MO outspends Tulsa, OK by a wide margin per resident — $22,820 versus $5,250, a 335% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
Tulsa, OK edges Kansas City, MO on the Fiscal Health Score by 4 points — 56/100 (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 Tulsa, OK leads with health at $762.
Summary
Kansas City spends 334.6% more per capita than Tulsa ($17,570/person difference). Tulsa, OK has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 56/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Sales Tax | $623 | $97 |
| Intergovernmental | $7 | $0 |
| Charges & Fees | $3,794 | $0 |
| Other | $11,150 | $53 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $0 | $628 |
| Fire Protection | $119 | $196 |
| Highways & Roads | $0 | $257 |
| Public Welfare | $3,018 | $86 |
| Health | $0 | $762 |
| Hospitals | $1,849 | $0 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,309 | $154 |
| Housing | $4,681 | $350 |
| Sewerage | $0 | $27 |
| Utilities | $3,123 | $41 |
| Other | $8,721 | $2,748 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.