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

Wichita, KS vs Kansas City, MO

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

Summary

Kansas City spends 65.0% more per capita than Wichita ($14,834/person difference). Wichita, KS has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 90/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
Wichita, KS
Pop. 395,951
A
90/100
Budget Balance100
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity100
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
Wichita
Kansas City
Total Spending
$3.2B
$11.5B
Spending / Capita
$7,986
$22,820
Total Revenue
$10.7B
$675.4M
Revenue / Capita
$27,057
$1,335
Total Debt
$52.2M
$0
Debt / Capita
$132
$0
Population
395,951
505,958
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Wichita$152
Kansas City$119
Highways & Roads
Wichita$126
Kansas City$0
Parks & Recreation
Wichita$874
Kansas City$1,309
Education
Wichita$2
Kansas City$0
Health
Wichita$254
Kansas City$0

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

WichitaKansas City
Sales Tax
$246
$623
Income Tax
$57
$0
Intergovernmental
$3,895
$7
Charges & Fees
$3,193
$3,794
Other
$2,783
$11,150

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

WichitaKansas City
Fire Protection
$152
$119
Highways & Roads
$126
$0
Education
$2
$0
Public Welfare
$441
$3,018
Health
$254
$0
Hospitals
$113
$1,849
Parks & Recreation
$874
$1,309
Housing
$2,618
$4,681
Utilities
$1,225
$3,123
Interest on Debt
$70
$0
Other
$2,111
$8,721
A
Wichita, KS
Fiscal Health Score: 90/100
Excellent fiscal health
C
Kansas City, MO
Fiscal Health Score: 52/100
Average fiscal health

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