Overland Park, KS vs Lawrence, KS
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Lawrence, KS outspends Overland Park, KS by a wide margin per resident — $50,571 versus $8,044, a 529% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
Overland Park, KS holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 85/100 (grade A) against 40/100 (grade D) for Lawrence, KS — a 45-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
Overland Park, KS reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Lawrence, KS carries $1,487 per resident. Both cities pour the most per-resident dollars into the same function: parks and recreation leads in Overland Park, KS at $1,786 per resident and in Lawrence, KS at $1,334.
They also fund themselves differently: intergovernmental transfers is the largest single revenue source in Overland Park, KS at 10% of total revenue, whereas Lawrence, KS relies most on other revenue at 13%.
Summary
Lawrence spends 84.1% more per capita than Overland Park ($42,527/person difference). Overland Park, KS has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 85/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Sales Tax | $861 | $452 |
| Income Tax | $0 | $1,646 |
| Intergovernmental | $1,045 | $610 |
| Charges & Fees | $0 | $2,976 |
| Other | $804 | $5,396 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $93 | $701 |
| Highways & Roads | $225 | $152 |
| Education | $0 | $50 |
| Public Welfare | $726 | $1,409 |
| Health | $0 | $528 |
| Hospitals | $427 | $201 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,786 | $1,334 |
| Housing | $2,095 | $2,611 |
| Utilities | $0 | $3,966 |
| Interest on Debt | $0 | $301 |
| General Admin | $0 | $32,300 |
| Other | $2,690 | $7,016 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.