Ankeny, IA vs Des Moines, IA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Ankeny, IA outspends Des Moines, IA by a wide margin per resident — $9,971 versus $1,302, a 666% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
Ankeny, IA edges Des Moines, IA on the Fiscal Health Score by 6 points — 61/100 (grade C) to 55/100 (grade C). At a margin this narrow the grade is close enough that the factor-level detail matters more than the composite.
Des Moines, IA reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Ankeny, IA carries $1,314 per resident. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Ankeny, IA leads with parks and recreation at $1,069 per resident, while Des Moines, IA leads with police at $134.
Summary
Ankeny spends 666.1% more per capita than Des Moines ($8,669/person difference). Ankeny, IA has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 61/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Sales Tax | $527 | $8 |
| Intergovernmental | $3,337 | $0 |
| Charges & Fees | $2,633 | $0 |
| Other | $3,353 | $38 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $0 | $134 |
| Fire Protection | $146 | $55 |
| Highways & Roads | $10 | $3 |
| Education | $0 | $1 |
| Public Welfare | $957 | $388 |
| Health | $379 | $8 |
| Hospitals | $4 | $0 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,069 | $0 |
| Housing | $2,088 | $164 |
| Sewerage | $313 | $0 |
| Utilities | $1,853 | $0 |
| Interest on Debt | $0 | $1 |
| Other | $3,151 | $547 |
Compare More Cities
Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.