Skip to main content
Data from U.S. Census Bureau · 2026 · Methodology
CitySpend

Ann Arbor, MI vs Detroit, MI

Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)

Summary

Detroit spends 29.2% more per capita than Ann Arbor ($9,082/person difference). Detroit, MI has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 69/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
Ann Arbor, MI
Pop. 122,216
D
46/100
Budget Balance34
Debt Burden0
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency50
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
City B
Detroit, MI
Pop. 636,787
B
69/100
Budget Balance70
Debt Burden79
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency38
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Ann Arbor
Detroit
Total Spending
$2.7B
$19.8B
Spending / Capita
$22,006
$31,087
Total Revenue
$2.8B
$28.4B
Revenue / Capita
$23,294
$44,533
Total Debt
$357.2M
$493.9M
Debt / Capita
$2,923
$776
Population
122,216
636,787
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Ann Arbor$1,572
Detroit$2,429
Parks & Recreation
Ann Arbor$1,799
Detroit$950
Health
Ann Arbor$0
Detroit$396

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

Ann ArborDetroit
Property Tax
$0
$44
Sales Tax
$452
$200
Income Tax
$378
$1,045
Intergovernmental
$3,670
$291
Charges & Fees
$2,961
$2,228
Other
$4,076
$6,892

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

Ann ArborDetroit
Fire Protection
$1,572
$2,429
Public Welfare
$1,621
$833
Health
$0
$396
Hospitals
$2,532
$2,217
Parks & Recreation
$1,799
$950
Housing
$2,662
$5,791
Sewerage
$511
$451
Utilities
$2,610
$2,737
Interest on Debt
$1,056
$2,068
Other
$7,644
$13,216
D
Ann Arbor, MI
Fiscal Health Score: 46/100
Below average fiscal health
B
Detroit, MI
Fiscal Health Score: 69/100
Good fiscal health

Compare More Cities