Updated April 2026 · U.S. Census Bureau, fiscal year 2023
How Much Debt Does Flint, MI Have?
Flint, MI carries $287.9M in total outstanding debt — about $3,516 for every resident. Long-term debt accounts for $3.5M of that. On CitySpend's Fiscal Health Score, the city's debt-burden factor scores 0/100, and its overall grade is F (24/100). All figures are from the U.S. Census Bureau Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances.
Flint, MI Budget Snapshot
| Total Spending | $5.3B |
| Per Capita Spending | $65,339 |
| Total Revenue | $2.4B |
| Total Debt | $287.9M |
| Debt Per Capita | $3,516 |
| Population | 81,863 |
| Fiscal Health Score | 24/100 (F) |
| Data Year | FY 2023 |
Flint, MI's Debt, Broken Down
Debt-wise, Flint sits close to the peer median for cities its size: $3,516 per resident versus a peer-group median of $0. That tracks with normal capital-program borrowing for streets, water, and public buildings.
What Does the F Grade Mean?
Flint, MI earns an F on the CitySpend Fiscal Health Score (24/100), the most distressed tier in the dataset. Audited reports likely show going-concern language, escalating pension liabilities, or debt service crowding out core services. Treat the F grade as a screening signal to read the full Comprehensive Annual Financial Report.
Where the Money Comes From
Where does the money come from? Property tax provides 0 percent of city revenue, sales tax 0 percent, intergovernmental transfers from federal and state sources 100 percent, and direct charges and user fees 14 percent. The remainder comes from utility revenue, income tax (where applicable), and miscellaneous sources.
Where the Money Goes
Of the $5.3B that Flint, MI spent in its most recent reported fiscal year, the largest single line item per resident is Fire Protection at $1,244. Parks & Recreation comes next at $63 per resident. Together those two functions account for the bulk of every-day taxpayer-facing services in the city budget. The remaining categories, parks, health, housing, debt service, and general administration, fill out the picture.
Top Spending Categories (Per Capita)
How This Score Is Calculated
The CitySpend Fiscal Health Score combines six factors into one composite, drawn from the U.S. Census Bureau Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances: budget balance and reserves (25%), debt burden per capita versus peer median (20%), pension funded ratio from the Public Plans Database (20%), spending efficiency (15%), revenue diversity (10%), and three-year trend direction (10%). Best-practice weighting follows guidance from the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA). Read the full methodology.
More about Flint, MI
Flint, MI carries $287.9M in total outstanding debt — about $3,516 for every resident. Long-term debt accounts for $3.5M of that. On CitySpend's Fiscal Health Score, the city's debt-burden factor scores 0/100, and its overall grade is F (24/100). All figures are from the U.S. Census Bureau Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances.
The data source behind this answer is the Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances. Every figure on the page traces back to that source; the methodology page describes the inputs and the refresh cadence in full detail.
For readers turning this answer into action: cross-reference against the underlying the Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances record before acting on time-sensitive decisions. The site renders the data as it was published; subsequent revisions can shift the picture, and the live federal data is always the authoritative current reference.