St. Joseph, MO vs Blue Springs, MO
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
St. Joseph, MO spends 34% more per resident than Blue Springs, MO: $10,772 against $8,040. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
On the CitySpend Fiscal Health Score the two are level: St. Joseph, MO and Blue Springs, MO both land at 80/100 (grade A and A respectively), so the deciding factors sit in the underlying six-factor breakdown rather than the rolled-up grade.
St. Joseph, MO reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Blue Springs, MO carries $40 per resident. Both cities pour the most per-resident dollars into the same function: parks and recreation leads in St. Joseph, MO at $1,000 per resident and in Blue Springs, MO at $1,041.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 100% of total revenue in St. Joseph, MO and 100% in Blue Springs, MO.
Summary
St. Joseph spends 34.0% more per capita than Blue Springs ($2,732/person difference). Both cities share the same Fiscal Health Score.
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $30 | $0 |
| Sales Tax | $365 | $472 |
| Income Tax | $876 | $0 |
| Intergovernmental | $14,823 | $16,987 |
| Charges & Fees | $0 | $1,766 |
| Other | $5,785 | $2,377 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $489 | $107 |
| Highways & Roads | $0 | $148 |
| Public Welfare | $1,015 | $740 |
| Hospitals | $288 | $160 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,000 | $1,041 |
| Housing | $2,681 | $3,154 |
| Sewerage | $0 | $153 |
| Utilities | $416 | $1,593 |
| Interest on Debt | $804 | $0 |
| Other | $4,079 | $945 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.