Cedar Rapids, IA vs Council Bluffs, IA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Cedar Rapids, IA spends 36% more per resident than Council Bluffs, IA: $23,973 against $17,662. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Cedar Rapids, IA holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 53/100 (grade C) against 43/100 (grade D) for Council Bluffs, IA — a 10-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
On debt, Council Bluffs, IA carries the lighter load at $994 per resident versus $1,391 for Cedar Rapids, IA. Both cities pour the most per-resident dollars into the same function: parks and recreation leads in Cedar Rapids, IA at $1,165 per resident and in Council Bluffs, IA at $1,587.
They also fund themselves differently: intergovernmental transfers is the largest single revenue source in Cedar Rapids, IA at 16% of total revenue, whereas Council Bluffs, IA relies most on other revenue at 24%.
Summary
Cedar Rapids spends 35.7% more per capita than Council Bluffs ($6,311/person difference). Cedar Rapids, IA has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 53/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $8 | $0 |
| Sales Tax | $2,450 | $234 |
| Income Tax | $1,513 | $1,036 |
| Intergovernmental | $5,898 | $383 |
| Charges & Fees | $3,261 | $2,374 |
| Other | $4,807 | $3,427 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $466 | $850 |
| Highways & Roads | $102 | $373 |
| Public Welfare | $1,987 | $1,494 |
| Health | $567 | $562 |
| Hospitals | $612 | $138 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,165 | $1,587 |
| Housing | $4,126 | $3,385 |
| Sewerage | $314 | $181 |
| Utilities | $4,004 | $3,119 |
| Interest on Debt | $737 | $278 |
| Other | $9,894 | $5,695 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.