San Antonio, TX vs Kansas City, MO
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Kansas City, MO spends 35% more per resident than San Antonio, TX: $22,820 against $16,943. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
San Antonio, TX holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 68/100 (grade B) against 52/100 (grade C) for Kansas City, MO — a 16-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
Kansas City, MO reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while San Antonio, TX carries $2,131 per resident. Both cities pour the most per-resident dollars into the same function: parks and recreation leads in San Antonio, TX at $1,045 per resident and in Kansas City, MO at $1,309.
They also fund themselves differently: intergovernmental transfers is the largest single revenue source in San Antonio, TX at 17% of total revenue, whereas Kansas City, MO relies most on other revenue at 835%.
Summary
Kansas City spends 25.8% more per capita than San Antonio ($5,877/person difference). San Antonio, TX has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 68/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $9 | $0 |
| Sales Tax | $293 | $623 |
| Income Tax | $1,000 | $0 |
| Intergovernmental | $14,312 | $7 |
| Charges & Fees | $4,025 | $3,794 |
| Other | $3,184 | $11,150 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $396 | $119 |
| Highways & Roads | $158 | $0 |
| Education | $23 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $1,188 | $3,018 |
| Health | $293 | $0 |
| Hospitals | $993 | $1,849 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,045 | $1,309 |
| Housing | $3,570 | $4,681 |
| Sewerage | $100 | $0 |
| Utilities | $3,826 | $3,123 |
| Other | $5,352 | $8,721 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.