Shawnee, KS vs Olathe, KS
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Shawnee, KS spends 31% more per resident than Olathe, KS: $19,297 against $14,735. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Olathe, KS holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 84/100 (grade A) against 66/100 (grade B) for Shawnee, KS — a 18-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. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Shawnee, KS leads with parks and recreation at $3,095 per resident, while Olathe, KS leads with health at $497.
They also fund themselves differently: intergovernmental transfers is the largest single revenue source in Shawnee, KS at 27% of total revenue, whereas Olathe, KS relies most on other revenue at 12%.
Summary
Shawnee spends 31.0% more per capita than Olathe ($4,562/person difference). Olathe, KS has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 84/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $0 | $796 |
| Sales Tax | $366 | $992 |
| Income Tax | $2,215 | $1,135 |
| Intergovernmental | $2,994 | $2,471 |
| Charges & Fees | $0 | $1,283 |
| Other | $966 | $2,971 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $2,908 | $0 |
| Fire Protection | $1,248 | $281 |
| Highways & Roads | $10 | $141 |
| Education | $0 | $35 |
| Public Welfare | $1,126 | $1,206 |
| Health | $0 | $497 |
| Hospitals | $0 | $470 |
| Parks & Recreation | $3,095 | $456 |
| Housing | $3,109 | $2,111 |
| Utilities | $2,387 | $4,550 |
| Other | $5,414 | $4,988 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.