St. Louis, MO vs St. Charles, MO
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
St. Charles, MO and St. Louis, MO spend within 14.1% of each other per resident — $20,461 versus $17,927 — so on the headline spending-per-capita measure the two cities are effectively neck and neck.
St. Louis, MO holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 75/100 (grade B) against 53/100 (grade C) for St. Charles, MO — a 22-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. Louis, MO leads with parks and recreation at $1,053 per resident, while St. Charles, MO leads with police at $2,304.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 39% of total revenue in St. Louis, MO and 100% in St. Charles, MO.
Summary
St. Charles spends 12.4% more per capita than St. Louis ($2,535/person difference). St. Louis, MO has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 75/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $58 | $0 |
| Sales Tax | $192 | $1,291 |
| Income Tax | $50 | $0 |
| Intergovernmental | $5,609 | $6,270 |
| Charges & Fees | $120 | $0 |
| Other | $4,382 | $2,994 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $0 | $2,304 |
| Fire Protection | $677 | $1,251 |
| Highways & Roads | $772 | $614 |
| Public Welfare | $1,793 | $4,187 |
| Hospitals | $445 | $1,602 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,053 | $1,210 |
| Housing | $5,667 | $5,745 |
| Sewerage | $436 | $197 |
| Utilities | $2,457 | $254 |
| Other | $4,627 | $3,097 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.