Seattle, WA vs Kansas City, MO
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Seattle, WA spends 51% more per resident than Kansas City, MO: $34,463 against $22,820. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Seattle, WA holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 61/100 (grade C) against 52/100 (grade C) for Kansas City, MO — a 9-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
Kansas City, MO reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Seattle, WA carries $1,100 per resident. Both cities pour the most per-resident dollars into the same function: parks and recreation leads in Seattle, WA at $3,923 per resident and in Kansas City, MO at $1,309.
They also fund themselves differently: intergovernmental transfers is the largest single revenue source in Seattle, WA at 13% of total revenue, whereas Kansas City, MO relies most on other revenue at 835%.
Summary
Seattle spends 51.0% more per capita than Kansas City ($11,643/person difference). Seattle, WA has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 61/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $1,831 | $0 |
| Sales Tax | $1,094 | $623 |
| Income Tax | $3,496 | $0 |
| Intergovernmental | $9,846 | $7 |
| Charges & Fees | $3,960 | $3,794 |
| Other | $8,544 | $11,150 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $210 | $119 |
| Education | $1,461 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $3,439 | $3,018 |
| Health | $1,131 | $0 |
| Hospitals | $1,871 | $1,849 |
| Parks & Recreation | $3,923 | $1,309 |
| Housing | $3,727 | $4,681 |
| Sewerage | $952 | $0 |
| Utilities | $6,489 | $3,123 |
| Other | $11,260 | $8,721 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.