Los Angeles, CA vs Kansas City, MO
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Los Angeles, CA outspends Kansas City, MO by a wide margin per resident — $85,432 versus $22,820, a 274% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
Kansas City, MO edges Los Angeles, CA on the Fiscal Health Score by 5 points — 52/100 (grade C) to 47/100 (grade D). 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: Los Angeles, CA leads with police at $4,111 per resident, while Kansas City, MO leads with parks and recreation at $1,309.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on other revenue — 51% of total revenue in Los Angeles, CA and 835% in Kansas City, MO.
Summary
Los Angeles spends 274.4% more per capita than Kansas City ($62,613/person difference). Kansas City, MO has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 52/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $64 | $0 |
| Sales Tax | $77 | $623 |
| Income Tax | $307 | $0 |
| Intergovernmental | $134 | $7 |
| Charges & Fees | $459 | $3,794 |
| Other | $9,048 | $11,150 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $4,111 | $0 |
| Fire Protection | $1,057 | $119 |
| Highways & Roads | $503 | $0 |
| Education | $829 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $1,286 | $3,018 |
| Health | $409 | $0 |
| Hospitals | $2,135 | $1,849 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,347 | $1,309 |
| Housing | $6,325 | $4,681 |
| Sewerage | $34 | $0 |
| Utilities | $21,992 | $3,123 |
| Interest on Debt | $630 | $0 |
| General Admin | $11,586 | $0 |
| Other | $33,189 | $8,721 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.