Nashville-Davidson metropolitan government (balance), TN vs Kansas City, MO
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Nashville-Davidson metropolitan government (balance), TN outspends Kansas City, MO by a wide margin per resident — $48,948 versus $22,820, a 114% 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 Nashville-Davidson metropolitan government (balance), TN 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.
Kansas City, MO reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Nashville-Davidson metropolitan government (balance), TN carries $2,292 per resident. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Nashville-Davidson metropolitan government (balance), TN leads with education at $21,061 per resident, while Kansas City, MO leads with parks and recreation at $1,309.
They also fund themselves differently: intergovernmental transfers is the largest single revenue source in Nashville-Davidson metropolitan government (balance), TN at 10% of total revenue, whereas Kansas City, MO relies most on other revenue at 835%.
Summary
Nashville-Davidson metropolitan government (balance) spends 114.5% more per capita than Kansas City ($26,128/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)
| Sales Tax | $373 | $623 |
| Income Tax | $135 | $0 |
| Intergovernmental | $13,787 | $7 |
| Charges & Fees | $2,444 | $3,794 |
| Other | $4,617 | $11,150 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $1,519 | $0 |
| Fire Protection | $468 | $119 |
| Highways & Roads | $11 | $0 |
| Education | $21,061 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $738 | $3,018 |
| Health | $672 | $0 |
| Hospitals | $2,100 | $1,849 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,015 | $1,309 |
| Housing | $4,231 | $4,681 |
| Sewerage | $217 | $0 |
| Utilities | $3,140 | $3,123 |
| Interest on Debt | $1,667 | $0 |
| General Admin | $2,081 | $0 |
| Other | $10,028 | $8,721 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.