Springfield, MO vs St. Charles, MO
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
St. Charles, MO spends 30% more per resident than Springfield, MO: $20,461 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 53/100 (grade C) for St. Charles, MO — a 29-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: Springfield, MO leads with parks and recreation at $2,552 per resident, while St. Charles, MO leads with police at $2,304.
They also fund themselves differently: other revenue is the largest single revenue source in Springfield, MO at 11% of total revenue, whereas St. Charles, MO relies most on intergovernmental transfers at 100%.
Summary
St. Charles spends 23.3% more per capita than Springfield ($4,758/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 | $1,291 |
| Income Tax | $822 | $0 |
| Intergovernmental | $1,035 | $6,270 |
| Charges & Fees | $3,451 | $0 |
| Other | $4,051 | $2,994 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $0 | $2,304 |
| Fire Protection | $68 | $1,251 |
| Highways & Roads | $487 | $614 |
| Education | $1,123 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $932 | $4,187 |
| Hospitals | $311 | $1,602 |
| Parks & Recreation | $2,552 | $1,210 |
| Housing | $2,768 | $5,745 |
| Sewerage | $206 | $197 |
| Utilities | $2,850 | $254 |
| Interest on Debt | $805 | $0 |
| Other | $3,601 | $3,097 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.