St. Charles, MO vs Blue Springs, MO
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
St. Charles, MO outspends Blue Springs, MO by a wide margin per resident — $20,461 versus $8,040, a 154% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
Blue Springs, MO holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 80/100 (grade A) against 53/100 (grade C) for St. Charles, MO — a 27-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
St. Charles, MO reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Blue Springs, MO carries $40 per resident. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: St. Charles, MO leads with police at $2,304 per resident, while Blue Springs, MO leads with parks and recreation at $1,041.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 100% of total revenue in St. Charles, MO and 100% in Blue Springs, MO.
Summary
St. Charles spends 154.5% more per capita than Blue Springs ($12,421/person difference). Blue Springs, MO 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 | $1,291 | $472 |
| Intergovernmental | $6,270 | $16,987 |
| Charges & Fees | $0 | $1,766 |
| Other | $2,994 | $2,377 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $2,304 | $0 |
| Fire Protection | $1,251 | $107 |
| Highways & Roads | $614 | $148 |
| Public Welfare | $4,187 | $740 |
| Hospitals | $1,602 | $160 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,210 | $1,041 |
| Housing | $5,745 | $3,154 |
| Sewerage | $197 | $153 |
| Utilities | $254 | $1,593 |
| Other | $3,097 | $945 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.