Skip to main content
Data from U.S. Census Bureau · 2026 · Methodology
CitySpend

Olathe, KS vs Lawrence, KS

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

Summary

Lawrence spends 70.9% more per capita than Olathe ($35,836/person difference). Olathe, KS has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 84/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
Olathe, KS
Pop. 142,114
A
84/100
Budget Balance81
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency93
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
City B
Lawrence, KS
Pop. 95,103
D
40/100
Budget Balance38
Debt Burden0
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Olathe
Lawrence
Total Spending
$2.1B
$4.8B
Spending / Capita
$14,735
$50,571
Total Revenue
$3.6B
$4.0B
Revenue / Capita
$25,473
$41,962
Total Debt
$0
$141.4M
Debt / Capita
$0
$1,487
Population
142,114
95,103
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Olathe$281
Lawrence$701
Highways & Roads
Olathe$141
Lawrence$152
Parks & Recreation
Olathe$456
Lawrence$1,334
Education
Olathe$35
Lawrence$50
Health
Olathe$497
Lawrence$528

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

OlatheLawrence
Property Tax
$796
$0
Sales Tax
$992
$452
Income Tax
$1,135
$1,646
Intergovernmental
$2,471
$610
Charges & Fees
$1,283
$2,976
Other
$2,971
$5,396

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

OlatheLawrence
Fire Protection
$281
$701
Highways & Roads
$141
$152
Education
$35
$50
Public Welfare
$1,206
$1,409
Health
$497
$528
Hospitals
$470
$201
Parks & Recreation
$456
$1,334
Housing
$2,111
$2,611
Utilities
$4,550
$3,966
Interest on Debt
$0
$301
General Admin
$0
$32,300
Other
$4,988
$7,016
A
Olathe, KS
Fiscal Health Score: 84/100
Excellent fiscal health
D
Lawrence, KS
Fiscal Health Score: 40/100
Below average fiscal health

Compare More Cities