Springfield, MO vs Kansas City, MO
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Kansas City, MO spends 45% more per resident than Springfield, MO: $22,820 against $15,703. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Springfield, MO holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 82/100 (grade A) against 52/100 (grade C) for Kansas City, MO — a 30-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 Springfield, MO at $2,552 per resident and in Kansas City, MO at $1,309.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on other revenue — 11% of total revenue in Springfield, MO and 835% in Kansas City, MO.
Summary
Kansas City spends 31.2% more per capita than Springfield ($7,116/person difference). Springfield, MO has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 82/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Sales Tax | $827 | $623 |
| Income Tax | $822 | $0 |
| Intergovernmental | $1,035 | $7 |
| Charges & Fees | $3,451 | $3,794 |
| Other | $4,051 | $11,150 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $68 | $119 |
| Highways & Roads | $487 | $0 |
| Education | $1,123 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $932 | $3,018 |
| Hospitals | $311 | $1,849 |
| Parks & Recreation | $2,552 | $1,309 |
| Housing | $2,768 | $4,681 |
| Sewerage | $206 | $0 |
| Utilities | $2,850 | $3,123 |
| Interest on Debt | $805 | $0 |
| Other | $3,601 | $8,721 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.