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

Wichita, KS vs Lawrence, KS

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

Summary

Lawrence spends 84.2% more per capita than Wichita ($42,585/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
Lawrence, KS
Pop. 95,103
D
40/100
Budget Balance38
Debt Burden0
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Wichita
Lawrence
Total Spending
$3.2B
$4.8B
Spending / Capita
$7,986
$50,571
Total Revenue
$10.7B
$4.0B
Revenue / Capita
$27,057
$41,962
Total Debt
$52.2M
$141.4M
Debt / Capita
$132
$1,487
Population
395,951
95,103
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Wichita$152
Lawrence$701
Highways & Roads
Wichita$126
Lawrence$152
Parks & Recreation
Wichita$874
Lawrence$1,334
Education
Wichita$2
Lawrence$50
Health
Wichita$254
Lawrence$528

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

WichitaLawrence
Sales Tax
$246
$452
Income Tax
$57
$1,646
Intergovernmental
$3,895
$610
Charges & Fees
$3,193
$2,976
Other
$2,783
$5,396

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

WichitaLawrence
Fire Protection
$152
$701
Highways & Roads
$126
$152
Education
$2
$50
Public Welfare
$441
$1,409
Health
$254
$528
Hospitals
$113
$201
Parks & Recreation
$874
$1,334
Housing
$2,618
$2,611
Utilities
$1,225
$3,966
Interest on Debt
$70
$301
General Admin
$0
$32,300
Other
$2,111
$7,016
A
Wichita, KS
Fiscal Health Score: 90/100
Excellent fiscal health
D
Lawrence, KS
Fiscal Health Score: 40/100
Below average fiscal health

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