Phoenix, AZ vs Kansas City, MO
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Kansas City, MO spends 44% more per resident than Phoenix, AZ: $22,820 against $15,793. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Phoenix, AZ holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 67/100 (grade B) against 52/100 (grade C) for Kansas City, MO — a 15-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
Kansas City, MO reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Phoenix, AZ carries $1,156 per resident. Both cities pour the most per-resident dollars into the same function: parks and recreation leads in Phoenix, AZ at $652 per resident and in Kansas City, MO at $1,309.
They also fund themselves differently: intergovernmental transfers is the largest single revenue source in Phoenix, AZ at 100% of total revenue, whereas Kansas City, MO relies most on other revenue at 835%.
Summary
Kansas City spends 30.8% more per capita than Phoenix ($7,027/person difference). Phoenix, AZ has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 67/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $7 | $0 |
| Sales Tax | $338 | $623 |
| Income Tax | $1,260 | $0 |
| Intergovernmental | $50,709 | $7 |
| Charges & Fees | $2,998 | $3,794 |
| Other | $2,038 | $11,150 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $170 | $119 |
| Highways & Roads | $86 | $0 |
| Education | $214 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $507 | $3,018 |
| Health | $258 | $0 |
| Hospitals | $1,521 | $1,849 |
| Parks & Recreation | $652 | $1,309 |
| Housing | $3,879 | $4,681 |
| Sewerage | $388 | $0 |
| Utilities | $2,480 | $3,123 |
| Interest on Debt | $1,760 | $0 |
| Other | $3,878 | $8,721 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.