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Data from U.S. Census Bureau · 2026 · Methodology
CitySpend

St. Louis, MO vs Independence, MO

Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)

Summary

St. Louis spends 119.3% more per capita than Independence ($9,751/person difference). Independence, MO has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 80/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
St. Louis, MO
Pop. 298,018
B
75/100
Budget Balance54
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency98
Revenue Diversity70
Trend Direction50
City B
Independence, MO
Pop. 122,218
A
80/100
Budget Balance100
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity0
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
St. Louis
Independence
Total Spending
$5.3B
$999.2M
Spending / Capita
$17,927
$8,176
Total Revenue
$4.3B
$4.7B
Revenue / Capita
$14,322
$38,346
Total Debt
$0
$0
Debt / Capita
$0
$0
Population
298,018
122,218
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
St. Louis$677
Independence$39
Highways & Roads
St. Louis$772
Independence$0
Parks & Recreation
St. Louis$1,053
Independence$611

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

St. LouisIndependence
Property Tax
$58
$1
Sales Tax
$192
$480
Income Tax
$50
$0
Intergovernmental
$5,609
$38,346
Charges & Fees
$120
$2,807
Other
$4,382
$3,970

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

St. LouisIndependence
Fire Protection
$677
$39
Highways & Roads
$772
$0
Public Welfare
$1,793
$345
Hospitals
$445
$406
Parks & Recreation
$1,053
$611
Housing
$5,667
$2,769
Sewerage
$436
$0
Utilities
$2,457
$1,599
Other
$4,627
$2,407
B
St. Louis, MO
Fiscal Health Score: 75/100
Good fiscal health
A
Independence, MO
Fiscal Health Score: 80/100
Excellent fiscal health

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