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

St. Louis, MO vs St. Joseph, MO

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

Summary

St. Louis spends 66.4% more per capita than St. Joseph ($7,154/person difference). St. Joseph, 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
St. Joseph, MO
Pop. 72,198
A
80/100
Budget Balance100
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity0
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
St. Louis
St. Joseph
Total Spending
$5.3B
$777.7M
Spending / Capita
$17,927
$10,772
Total Revenue
$4.3B
$1.1B
Revenue / Capita
$14,322
$14,823
Total Debt
$0
$0
Debt / Capita
$0
$0
Population
298,018
72,198
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
St. Louis$677
St. Joseph$489
Highways & Roads
St. Louis$772
St. Joseph$0
Parks & Recreation
St. Louis$1,053
St. Joseph$1,000

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

St. LouisSt. Joseph
Property Tax
$58
$30
Sales Tax
$192
$365
Income Tax
$50
$876
Intergovernmental
$5,609
$14,823
Charges & Fees
$120
$0
Other
$4,382
$5,785

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

St. LouisSt. Joseph
Fire Protection
$677
$489
Highways & Roads
$772
$0
Public Welfare
$1,793
$1,015
Hospitals
$445
$288
Parks & Recreation
$1,053
$1,000
Housing
$5,667
$2,681
Sewerage
$436
$0
Utilities
$2,457
$416
Interest on Debt
$0
$804
Other
$4,627
$4,079
B
St. Louis, MO
Fiscal Health Score: 75/100
Good fiscal health
A
St. Joseph, MO
Fiscal Health Score: 80/100
Excellent fiscal health

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