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

Cedar Rapids, IA vs Ames, IA

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

Summary

Ames spends 46.6% more per capita than Cedar Rapids ($20,942/person difference). Cedar Rapids, IA has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 53/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
Cedar Rapids, IA
Pop. 136,929
C
53/100
Budget Balance67
Debt Burden0
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency38
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
City B
Ames, IA
Pop. 66,265
F
34/100
Budget Balance6
Debt Burden13
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Cedar Rapids
Ames
Total Spending
$3.3B
$3.0B
Spending / Capita
$23,973
$44,915
Total Revenue
$5.1B
$2.1B
Revenue / Capita
$37,389
$32,201
Total Debt
$190.4M
$45.1M
Debt / Capita
$1,391
$680
Population
136,929
66,265
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Cedar Rapids$466
Ames$155
Highways & Roads
Cedar Rapids$102
Ames$61
Parks & Recreation
Cedar Rapids$1,165
Ames$648
Education
Cedar Rapids$0
Ames$41
Health
Cedar Rapids$567
Ames$765

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

Cedar RapidsAmes
Property Tax
$8
$5
Sales Tax
$2,450
$413
Income Tax
$1,513
$648
Intergovernmental
$5,898
$3,359
Charges & Fees
$3,261
$1,979
Other
$4,807
$2,187

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

Cedar RapidsAmes
Fire Protection
$466
$155
Highways & Roads
$102
$61
Education
$0
$41
Public Welfare
$1,987
$3,950
Health
$567
$765
Hospitals
$612
$83
Parks & Recreation
$1,165
$648
Housing
$4,126
$1,535
Sewerage
$314
$268
Utilities
$4,004
$2,103
Interest on Debt
$737
$1,924
General Admin
$0
$30,834
Other
$9,894
$2,548
C
Cedar Rapids, IA
Fiscal Health Score: 53/100
Average fiscal health
F
Ames, IA
Fiscal Health Score: 34/100
Critical fiscal distress

Compare More Cities