San Jose, CA vs Kansas City, MO
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Kansas City, MO spends 27% more per resident than San Jose, CA: $22,820 against $17,934. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
San Jose, CA holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 90/100 (grade A) against 52/100 (grade C) for Kansas City, MO — a 38-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
Neither city reports outstanding debt per resident in its current Census filing, which removes debt service as a point of difference between them. Both cities pour the most per-resident dollars into the same function: parks and recreation leads in San Jose, CA at $1,424 per resident and in Kansas City, MO at $1,309.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on other revenue — 9% of total revenue in San Jose, CA and 835% in Kansas City, MO.
Summary
Kansas City spends 21.4% more per capita than San Jose ($4,885/person difference). San Jose, CA has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 90/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $40 | $0 |
| Sales Tax | $315 | $623 |
| Income Tax | $1,935 | $0 |
| Intergovernmental | $2,680 | $7 |
| Charges & Fees | $608 | $3,794 |
| Other | $3,519 | $11,150 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $0 | $119 |
| Public Welfare | $810 | $3,018 |
| Health | $609 | $0 |
| Hospitals | $1,254 | $1,849 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,424 | $1,309 |
| Housing | $4,897 | $4,681 |
| Sewerage | $161 | $0 |
| Utilities | $2,533 | $3,123 |
| Other | $6,247 | $8,721 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.