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

Tulsa, OK vs Wichita, KS

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

Reviewed by CitySpend Editorial Team · Updated

Wichita, KS spends 52% more per resident than Tulsa, OK: $7,986 against $5,250. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.

Wichita, KS holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 90/100 (grade A) against 56/100 (grade C) for Tulsa, OK — a 34-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.

Tulsa, OK reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Wichita, KS carries $132 per resident. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Tulsa, OK leads with health at $762 per resident, while Wichita, KS leads with parks and recreation at $874.

Summary

Wichita spends 34.3% more per capita than Tulsa ($2,736/person difference). Wichita, KS has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 90/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
Tulsa, OK
Pop. 411,938
C
56/100
Budget Balance4
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity0
Trend Direction50
City B
Wichita, KS
Pop. 395,951
A
90/100
Budget Balance100
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Tulsa
Wichita
Total Spending
$2.2B
$3.2B
Spending / Capita
$5,250
$7,986
Total Revenue
$0
$10.7B
Revenue / Capita
$0
$27,057
Total Debt
$0
$52.2M
Debt / Capita
$0
$132
Population
411,938
395,951
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
Tulsa$628
Wichita$0
Fire Protection
Tulsa$196
Wichita$152
Highways & Roads
Tulsa$257
Wichita$126
Parks & Recreation
Tulsa$154
Wichita$874
Education
Tulsa$0
Wichita$2
Health
Tulsa$762
Wichita$254

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

TulsaWichita
Sales Tax
$97
$246
Income Tax
$0
$57
Intergovernmental
$0
$3,895
Charges & Fees
$0
$3,193
Other
$53
$2,783

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

TulsaWichita
Police
$628
$0
Fire Protection
$196
$152
Highways & Roads
$257
$126
Education
$0
$2
Public Welfare
$86
$441
Health
$762
$254
Hospitals
$0
$113
Parks & Recreation
$154
$874
Housing
$350
$2,618
Sewerage
$27
$0
Utilities
$41
$1,225
Interest on Debt
$0
$70
Other
$2,748
$2,111
C
Tulsa, OK
Fiscal Health Score: 56/100
Average fiscal health
A
Wichita, KS
Fiscal Health Score: 90/100
Excellent fiscal health

Compare More Cities

Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.