Ames, IA vs Cedar Rapids, IA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Summary
Ames spends 87.4% more per capita than Cedar Rapids ($20,942/person difference). Cedar Rapids, IA has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 53/100).
Fiscal Health Score
F
34/100
Budget Balance6
Debt Burden13
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
C
53/100
Budget Balance67
Debt Burden0
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency38
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
Key Metrics
Metric
Ames
Cedar Rapids
Total Spending
$3.0B
$3.3B
Spending / Capita
$44,915
$23,973
Total Revenue
$2.1B
$5.1B
Revenue / Capita
$32,201
$37,389
Total Debt
$45.1M
$190.4M
Debt / Capita
$680
$1,391
Population
66,265
136,929
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0
Per Capita Spending by Department
Fire Protection
Ames$155
Cedar Rapids$466
Highways & Roads
Ames$61
Cedar Rapids$102
Parks & Recreation
Ames$648
Cedar Rapids$1,165
Education
Ames$41
Cedar Rapids$0
Health
Ames$765
Cedar Rapids$567
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
AmesCedar Rapids
| Property Tax | $5 | $8 |
| Sales Tax | $413 | $2,450 |
| Income Tax | $648 | $1,513 |
| Intergovernmental | $3,359 | $5,898 |
| Charges & Fees | $1,979 | $3,261 |
| Other | $2,187 | $4,807 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
AmesCedar Rapids
| Fire Protection | $155 | $466 |
| Highways & Roads | $61 | $102 |
| Education | $41 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $3,950 | $1,987 |
| Health | $765 | $567 |
| Hospitals | $83 | $612 |
| Parks & Recreation | $648 | $1,165 |
| Housing | $1,535 | $4,126 |
| Sewerage | $268 | $314 |
| Utilities | $2,103 | $4,004 |
| Interest on Debt | $1,924 | $737 |
| General Admin | $30,834 | $0 |
| Other | $2,548 | $9,894 |
F
Ames, IA
Fiscal Health Score: 34/100
Critical fiscal distress
C
Cedar Rapids, IA
Fiscal Health Score: 53/100
Average fiscal health