Shawnee, KS vs Manhattan, KS
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Shawnee, KS spends 58% more per resident than Manhattan, KS: $19,297 against $12,218. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Manhattan, KS holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 80/100 (grade A) against 66/100 (grade B) for Shawnee, KS — a 14-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
Shawnee, KS reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Manhattan, KS carries $46 per resident. Both cities pour the most per-resident dollars into the same function: parks and recreation leads in Shawnee, KS at $3,095 per resident and in Manhattan, KS at $1,328.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 27% of total revenue in Shawnee, KS and 100% in Manhattan, KS.
Summary
Shawnee spends 57.9% more per capita than Manhattan ($7,079/person difference). Manhattan, KS has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 80/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Sales Tax | $366 | $42 |
| Income Tax | $2,215 | $0 |
| Intergovernmental | $2,994 | $20,434 |
| Charges & Fees | $0 | $2,350 |
| Other | $966 | $3,349 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $2,908 | $0 |
| Fire Protection | $1,248 | $203 |
| Highways & Roads | $10 | $69 |
| Public Welfare | $1,126 | $806 |
| Health | $0 | $680 |
| Hospitals | $0 | $184 |
| Parks & Recreation | $3,095 | $1,328 |
| Housing | $3,109 | $0 |
| Sewerage | $0 | $173 |
| Utilities | $2,387 | $2,330 |
| Other | $5,414 | $6,445 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.