Philadelphia, PA vs Kansas City, MO
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Philadelphia, PA outspends Kansas City, MO by a wide margin per resident — $56,272 versus $22,820, a 147% 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 Philadelphia, PA on the Fiscal Health Score by 7 points — 52/100 (grade C) to 45/100 (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 Philadelphia, PA carries $1,069 per resident. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Philadelphia, PA leads with fire protection at $7,082 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 Philadelphia, PA at 16% of total revenue, whereas Kansas City, MO relies most on other revenue at 835%.
Summary
Philadelphia spends 146.6% more per capita than Kansas City ($33,452/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 | $107 | $623 |
| Income Tax | $8 | $0 |
| Intergovernmental | $6,288 | $7 |
| Charges & Fees | $2,790 | $3,794 |
| Other | $4,029 | $11,150 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $1,505 | $0 |
| Fire Protection | $7,082 | $119 |
| Highways & Roads | $1,215 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $1,456 | $3,018 |
| Health | $229 | $0 |
| Hospitals | $4,048 | $1,849 |
| Parks & Recreation | $593 | $1,309 |
| Housing | $4,902 | $4,681 |
| Sewerage | $325 | $0 |
| Utilities | $4,222 | $3,123 |
| Interest on Debt | $3 | $0 |
| Other | $30,692 | $8,721 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.