Skip to main content
Data from U.S. Census Bureau · 2026 · Methodology
CitySpend

St. Louis, MO vs Kansas City, MO

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

Summary

Kansas City spends 21.4% more per capita than St. Louis ($4,893/person difference). St. Louis, MO has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 75/100).

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
Kansas City, MO
Pop. 505,958
C
52/100
Budget Balance1
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency76
Revenue Diversity0
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
St. Louis
Kansas City
Total Spending
$5.3B
$11.5B
Spending / Capita
$17,927
$22,820
Total Revenue
$4.3B
$675.4M
Revenue / Capita
$14,322
$1,335
Total Debt
$0
$0
Debt / Capita
$0
$0
Population
298,018
505,958
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
St. Louis$677
Kansas City$119
Highways & Roads
St. Louis$772
Kansas City$0
Parks & Recreation
St. Louis$1,053
Kansas City$1,309

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

St. LouisKansas City
Property Tax
$58
$0
Sales Tax
$192
$623
Income Tax
$50
$0
Intergovernmental
$5,609
$7
Charges & Fees
$120
$3,794
Other
$4,382
$11,150

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

St. LouisKansas City
Fire Protection
$677
$119
Highways & Roads
$772
$0
Public Welfare
$1,793
$3,018
Hospitals
$445
$1,849
Parks & Recreation
$1,053
$1,309
Housing
$5,667
$4,681
Sewerage
$436
$0
Utilities
$2,457
$3,123
Other
$4,627
$8,721
B
St. Louis, MO
Fiscal Health Score: 75/100
Good fiscal health
C
Kansas City, MO
Fiscal Health Score: 52/100
Average fiscal health

Compare More Cities