Olathe, KS vs Lawrence, KS
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Lawrence, KS outspends Olathe, KS by a wide margin per resident — $50,571 versus $14,735, a 243% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
Olathe, KS holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 84/100 (grade A) against 40/100 (grade D) for Lawrence, KS — a 44-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
Olathe, KS reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Lawrence, KS carries $1,487 per resident. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Olathe, KS leads with health at $497 per resident, while Lawrence, KS leads with parks and recreation at $1,334.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on other revenue — 12% of total revenue in Olathe, KS and 13% in Lawrence, KS.
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
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| 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)
| 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 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.