Ames, IA vs Iowa City, IA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Summary
Ames spends 173.1% more per capita than Iowa City ($28,466/person difference). Iowa City, IA has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 62/100).
Fiscal Health Score
F
34/100
Budget Balance6
Debt Burden13
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
C
62/100
Budget Balance2
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency73
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
Key Metrics
Metric
Ames
Iowa City
Total Spending
$3.0B
$1.2B
Spending / Capita
$44,915
$16,449
Total Revenue
$2.1B
$751.1M
Revenue / Capita
$32,201
$10,031
Total Debt
$45.1M
$13.7M
Debt / Capita
$680
$183
Population
66,265
74,878
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0
Per Capita Spending by Department
Fire Protection
Ames$155
Iowa City$461
Highways & Roads
Ames$61
Iowa City$112
Parks & Recreation
Ames$648
Iowa City$1,165
Education
Ames$41
Iowa City$57
Health
Ames$765
Iowa City$965
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
AmesIowa City
| Property Tax | $5 | $14 |
| Sales Tax | $413 | $833 |
| Income Tax | $648 | $1,549 |
| Intergovernmental | $3,359 | $1,216 |
| Charges & Fees | $1,979 | $1,499 |
| Other | $2,187 | $2,188 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
AmesIowa City
| Fire Protection | $155 | $461 |
| Highways & Roads | $61 | $112 |
| Education | $41 | $57 |
| Public Welfare | $3,950 | $1,285 |
| Health | $765 | $965 |
| Hospitals | $83 | $2,408 |
| Parks & Recreation | $648 | $1,165 |
| Housing | $1,535 | $1,963 |
| Sewerage | $268 | $270 |
| Utilities | $2,103 | $2,351 |
| Interest on Debt | $1,924 | $1,144 |
| General Admin | $30,834 | $0 |
| Other | $2,548 | $4,268 |
F
Ames, IA
Fiscal Health Score: 34/100
Critical fiscal distress
C
Iowa City, IA
Fiscal Health Score: 62/100
Average fiscal health