St. Joseph, MO vs Independence, MO
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
St. Joseph, MO spends 32% more per resident than Independence, MO: $10,772 against $8,176. 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 Independence, 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.
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 St. Joseph, MO at $1,000 per resident and in Independence, MO at $611.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 100% of total revenue in St. Joseph, MO and 100% in Independence, MO.
Summary
St. Joseph spends 31.8% more per capita than Independence ($2,597/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 | $1 |
| Sales Tax | $365 | $480 |
| Income Tax | $876 | $0 |
| Intergovernmental | $14,823 | $38,346 |
| Charges & Fees | $0 | $2,807 |
| Other | $5,785 | $3,970 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $489 | $39 |
| Public Welfare | $1,015 | $345 |
| Hospitals | $288 | $406 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,000 | $611 |
| Housing | $2,681 | $2,769 |
| Utilities | $416 | $1,599 |
| Interest on Debt | $804 | $0 |
| Other | $4,079 | $2,407 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.