Ames, IA vs Waterloo, IA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Summary
Ames spends 152.3% more per capita than Waterloo ($27,113/person difference). Waterloo, IA has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 71/100).
Fiscal Health Score
F
34/100
Budget Balance6
Debt Burden13
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
B
71/100
Budget Balance100
Debt Burden28
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency65
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
Key Metrics
Metric
Ames
Waterloo
Total Spending
$3.0B
$1.2B
Spending / Capita
$44,915
$17,802
Total Revenue
$2.1B
$1.6B
Revenue / Capita
$32,201
$23,537
Total Debt
$45.1M
$40.7M
Debt / Capita
$680
$605
Population
66,265
67,256
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0
Per Capita Spending by Department
Fire Protection
Ames$155
Waterloo$223
Highways & Roads
Ames$61
Waterloo$108
Parks & Recreation
Ames$648
Waterloo$1,325
Education
Ames$41
Waterloo$10
Health
Ames$765
Waterloo$431
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
AmesWaterloo
| Property Tax | $5 | $59 |
| Sales Tax | $413 | $677 |
| Income Tax | $648 | $920 |
| Intergovernmental | $3,359 | $2,021 |
| Charges & Fees | $1,979 | $1,614 |
| Other | $2,187 | $3,969 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
AmesWaterloo
| Fire Protection | $155 | $223 |
| Highways & Roads | $61 | $108 |
| Education | $41 | $10 |
| Public Welfare | $3,950 | $2,637 |
| Health | $765 | $431 |
| Hospitals | $83 | $1,864 |
| Parks & Recreation | $648 | $1,325 |
| Housing | $1,535 | $3,169 |
| Sewerage | $268 | $205 |
| Utilities | $2,103 | $1,874 |
| Interest on Debt | $1,924 | $0 |
| General Admin | $30,834 | $0 |
| Other | $2,548 | $5,957 |
F
Ames, IA
Fiscal Health Score: 34/100
Critical fiscal distress
B
Waterloo, IA
Fiscal Health Score: 71/100
Good fiscal health