Tucson, AZ vs Kansas City, MO
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Kansas City, MO spends 45% more per resident than Tucson, AZ: $22,820 against $15,759. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Tucson, AZ edges Kansas City, MO on the Fiscal Health Score by 3 points — 55/100 (grade C) to 52/100 (grade C). At a margin this narrow the grade is close enough that the factor-level detail matters more than the composite.
Kansas City, MO reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Tucson, AZ carries $1,540 per resident. Both cities pour the most per-resident dollars into the same function: parks and recreation leads in Tucson, AZ at $1,229 per resident and in Kansas City, MO at $1,309.
They also fund themselves differently: intergovernmental transfers is the largest single revenue source in Tucson, AZ at 100% of total revenue, whereas Kansas City, MO relies most on other revenue at 835%.
Summary
Kansas City spends 30.9% more per capita than Tucson ($7,061/person difference). Tucson, AZ has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 55/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $5 | $0 |
| Sales Tax | $309 | $623 |
| Income Tax | $1,107 | $0 |
| Intergovernmental | $23,276 | $7 |
| Charges & Fees | $4,534 | $3,794 |
| Other | $952 | $11,150 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $330 | $119 |
| Public Welfare | $1,181 | $3,018 |
| Hospitals | $1,314 | $1,849 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,229 | $1,309 |
| Housing | $3,091 | $4,681 |
| Utilities | $3,555 | $3,123 |
| Interest on Debt | $1,735 | $0 |
| Other | $3,322 | $8,721 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.