St. Joseph, MO vs St. Charles, MO
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
St. Charles, MO outspends St. Joseph, MO by a wide margin per resident — $20,461 versus $10,772, a 90% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
St. Joseph, 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.
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: St. Joseph, MO leads with parks and recreation at $1,000 per resident, while St. Charles, MO leads with police at $2,304.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 100% of total revenue in St. Joseph, MO and 100% in St. Charles, MO.
Summary
St. Charles spends 47.4% more per capita than St. Joseph ($9,689/person difference). St. Joseph, MO has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 80/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $30 | $0 |
| Sales Tax | $365 | $1,291 |
| Income Tax | $876 | $0 |
| Intergovernmental | $14,823 | $6,270 |
| Other | $5,785 | $2,994 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $0 | $2,304 |
| Fire Protection | $489 | $1,251 |
| Highways & Roads | $0 | $614 |
| Public Welfare | $1,015 | $4,187 |
| Hospitals | $288 | $1,602 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,000 | $1,210 |
| Housing | $2,681 | $5,745 |
| Sewerage | $0 | $197 |
| Utilities | $416 | $254 |
| Interest on Debt | $804 | $0 |
| Other | $4,079 | $3,097 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.