Ames, IA vs West Des Moines, IA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Summary
Ames spends 203.9% more per capita than West Des Moines ($30,136/person difference). West Des Moines, 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 Balance51
Debt Burden0
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency84
Revenue Diversity71
Trend Direction50
Key Metrics
Metric
Ames
West Des Moines
Total Spending
$3.0B
$1.0B
Spending / Capita
$44,915
$14,779
Total Revenue
$2.1B
$2.4B
Revenue / Capita
$32,201
$35,361
Total Debt
$45.1M
$140.9M
Debt / Capita
$680
$2,050
Population
66,265
68,744
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0
Per Capita Spending by Department
Fire Protection
Ames$155
West Des Moines$240
Highways & Roads
Ames$61
West Des Moines$49
Parks & Recreation
Ames$648
West Des Moines$1,257
Education
Ames$41
West Des Moines$3
Health
Ames$765
West Des Moines$615
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
AmesWest Des Moines
| Property Tax | $5 | $24 |
| Sales Tax | $413 | $677 |
| Income Tax | $648 | $355 |
| Intergovernmental | $3,359 | $16,920 |
| Charges & Fees | $1,979 | $2,669 |
| Other | $2,187 | $3,239 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
AmesWest Des Moines
| Fire Protection | $155 | $240 |
| Highways & Roads | $61 | $49 |
| Education | $41 | $3 |
| Public Welfare | $3,950 | $1,500 |
| Health | $765 | $615 |
| Hospitals | $83 | $290 |
| Parks & Recreation | $648 | $1,257 |
| Housing | $1,535 | $2,213 |
| Sewerage | $268 | $194 |
| Utilities | $2,103 | $669 |
| Interest on Debt | $1,924 | $0 |
| General Admin | $30,834 | $0 |
| Other | $2,548 | $7,750 |
F
Ames, IA
Fiscal Health Score: 34/100
Critical fiscal distress
C
West Des Moines, IA
Fiscal Health Score: 53/100
Average fiscal health