Skip to main content
Data from U.S. Census Bureau · 2026 · Methodology
CitySpend

Wichita, KS vs Sacramento, CA

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

Reviewed by CitySpend Editorial Team · Updated

Sacramento, CA outspends Wichita, KS by a wide margin per resident — $71,020 versus $7,986, a 789% 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 57/100 (grade C) for Sacramento, CA — a 33-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.

Sacramento, CA 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: Wichita, KS leads with parks and recreation at $874 per resident, while Sacramento, CA leads with police at $5,402.

They also fund themselves differently: intergovernmental transfers is the largest single revenue source in Wichita, KS at 14% of total revenue, whereas Sacramento, CA relies most on other revenue at 8%.

Summary

Sacramento spends 88.8% more per capita than Wichita ($63,034/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
Sacramento, CA
Pop. 523,600
C
57/100
Budget Balance29
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Wichita
Sacramento
Total Spending
$3.2B
$37.2B
Spending / Capita
$7,986
$71,020
Total Revenue
$10.7B
$33.3B
Revenue / Capita
$27,057
$63,682
Total Debt
$52.2M
$0
Debt / Capita
$132
$0
Population
395,951
523,600
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
Wichita$0
Sacramento$5,402
Fire Protection
Wichita$152
Sacramento$2,466
Highways & Roads
Wichita$126
Sacramento$0
Parks & Recreation
Wichita$874
Sacramento$1,437
Education
Wichita$2
Sacramento$2,684
Health
Wichita$254
Sacramento$18

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

WichitaSacramento
Property Tax
$0
$1,465
Sales Tax
$246
$378
Income Tax
$57
$3,104
Intergovernmental
$3,895
$3,400
Charges & Fees
$3,193
$3,239
Other
$2,783
$5,072

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

WichitaSacramento
Police
$0
$5,402
Fire Protection
$152
$2,466
Highways & Roads
$126
$0
Education
$2
$2,684
Public Welfare
$441
$3,470
Health
$254
$18
Hospitals
$113
$0
Parks & Recreation
$874
$1,437
Housing
$2,618
$8,577
Sewerage
$0
$103
Utilities
$1,225
$19,920
Interest on Debt
$70
$162
Other
$2,111
$26,782
A
Wichita, KS
Fiscal Health Score: 90/100
Excellent fiscal health
C
Sacramento, CA
Fiscal Health Score: 57/100
Average fiscal health

Compare More Cities

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