Every year, the City of Kansas City and its partner, the ETC Institute, surveys randomly selected households in all council districts to gauge how City services, projects and actions are perceived by residents. This survey is used by City leaders to identify what's important to residents, what's working well, and where there is room for improvement.

The 2025/2026 survey shows statistically significant increases in resident satisfaction across 13 of 17 major service areas compared to last year's survey. Among the highest gains were areas residents identified as "Very High" to "High" priorities, including Overall Quality of Police Services (up 16.8%), Housing Services (up 9%) and Maintenance of Streets, Sidewalks and Infrastructure (up 7.2%).

The highest-rated services were Quality of Fire and Ambulance Services (74.3% satisfied), Airport Services (73.4% satisfied) and Solid Waste Services (67% satisfied). Services where further progress is needed include City and Planning Development Services (34.4% satisfied), Housing Services (31.5% satisfied) and Maintenance of Streets, Sidewalks and Infrastructure (25.5% satisfied).

The results speak to why measuring progress and overall satisfaction are important. While Housing Services and Maintenance of Streets, Sidewalks and Infrastructure both saw meaningful gains this year, they remain among the lowest-rated areas. This gives City leaders a way to monitor whether perceptions are moving in the right direction and where residents continue to expect improvement.

"I'm grateful for all the City staff who work hard to deliver for their fellow residents. We celebrate the results of the survey, but we know we are not done: Improvement is an ongoing commitment, never an endpoint. We will continue to bring our best for Kansas City" said City Manager Mario Vasquez.

The survey also looks at residents' broader experience of Kansas City, with 67% of respondents reporting they were satisfied with Kansas City as a place to live (up 2.8%), 61% as a place to work, and 53% as a place to raise children (up 3.7%). Additionally, 58% were satisfied with how safe they feel in their neighborhoods.

To find the complete survey, please visit KCMO.gov/residentsurvey