Wichita, KS vs Long Beach, CA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Long Beach, CA outspends Wichita, KS by a wide margin per resident — $34,250 versus $7,986, a 329% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
Wichita, KS holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 90/100 (grade A) against 67/100 (grade B) for Long Beach, CA — a 23-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
Long Beach, CA reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Wichita, KS carries $132 per resident. Both cities pour the most per-resident dollars into the same function: parks and recreation leads in Wichita, KS at $874 per resident and in Long Beach, CA at $698.
They also fund themselves differently: intergovernmental transfers is the largest single revenue source in Wichita, KS at 14% of total revenue, whereas Long Beach, CA relies most on other revenue at 12%.
Summary
Long Beach spends 76.7% more per capita than Wichita ($26,264/person difference). Wichita, KS has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 90/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Sales Tax | $246 | $36 |
| Income Tax | $57 | $1,760 |
| Intergovernmental | $3,895 | $1,688 |
| Charges & Fees | $3,193 | $2,424 |
| Other | $2,783 | $8,836 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $152 | $0 |
| Highways & Roads | $126 | $0 |
| Education | $2 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $441 | $1,317 |
| Health | $254 | $477 |
| Hospitals | $113 | $2,751 |
| Parks & Recreation | $874 | $698 |
| Housing | $2,618 | $5,782 |
| Sewerage | $0 | $86 |
| Utilities | $1,225 | $3,889 |
| Interest on Debt | $70 | $2,718 |
| Other | $2,111 | $16,533 |
Compare More Cities
Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.