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

New York, NY vs Kansas City, MO

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

Reviewed by CitySpend Editorial Team · Updated

New York, NY outspends Kansas City, MO by a wide margin per resident — $129,119 versus $22,820, a 466% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.

New York, NY holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 64/100 (grade C) against 52/100 (grade C) for Kansas City, MO — a 12-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.

Kansas City, MO reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while New York, NY carries $462 per resident. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: New York, NY leads with education at $37,892 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 New York, NY at 14% of total revenue, whereas Kansas City, MO relies most on other revenue at 835%.

Summary

New York spends 465.8% more per capita than Kansas City ($106,300/person difference). New York, NY has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 64/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
New York, NY
Pop. 8,622,467
C
64/100
Budget Balance55
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
City B
Kansas City, MO
Pop. 505,958
C
52/100
Budget Balance1
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency76
Revenue Diversity0
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
New York
Kansas City
Total Spending
$1113.3B
$11.5B
Spending / Capita
$129,119
$22,820
Total Revenue
$1271.6B
$675.4M
Revenue / Capita
$147,477
$1,335
Total Debt
$4.0B
$0
Debt / Capita
$462
$0
Population
8,622,467
505,958
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
New York$1,512
Kansas City$0
Fire Protection
New York$11,050
Kansas City$119
Highways & Roads
New York$221
Kansas City$0
Parks & Recreation
New York$868
Kansas City$1,309
Education
New York$37,892
Kansas City$0
Health
New York$417
Kansas City$0

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

New YorkKansas City
Property Tax
$5
$0
Sales Tax
$399
$623
Income Tax
$19
$0
Intergovernmental
$20,520
$7
Charges & Fees
$1,835
$3,794
Other
$3,593
$11,150

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

New YorkKansas City
Police
$1,512
$0
Fire Protection
$11,050
$119
Highways & Roads
$221
$0
Education
$37,892
$0
Public Welfare
$1,116
$3,018
Health
$417
$0
Hospitals
$6,467
$1,849
Parks & Recreation
$868
$1,309
Housing
$7,137
$4,681
Sewerage
$315
$0
Utilities
$13,371
$3,123
Interest on Debt
$11,706
$0
General Admin
$11,668
$0
Other
$25,380
$8,721
C
New York, NY
Fiscal Health Score: 64/100
Average fiscal health
C
Kansas City, MO
Fiscal Health Score: 52/100
Average fiscal health

Compare More Cities

Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.