Davenport, IA vs Ames, IA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Ames, IA outspends Davenport, IA by a wide margin per resident — $44,915 versus $14,236, a 216% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
Davenport, IA holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 90/100 (grade A) against 34/100 (grade F) for Ames, IA — a 56-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
Davenport, IA reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Ames, IA carries $680 per resident. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Davenport, IA leads with parks and recreation at $895 per resident, while Ames, IA leads with health at $765.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 14% of total revenue in Davenport, IA and 10% in Ames, IA.
Summary
Ames spends 68.3% more per capita than Davenport ($30,679/person difference). Davenport, IA has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 90/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $4 | $5 |
| Sales Tax | $966 | $413 |
| Income Tax | $715 | $648 |
| Intergovernmental | $3,345 | $3,359 |
| Charges & Fees | $0 | $1,979 |
| Other | $3,330 | $2,187 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $275 | $155 |
| Highways & Roads | $212 | $61 |
| Education | $0 | $41 |
| Public Welfare | $1,818 | $3,950 |
| Health | $598 | $765 |
| Hospitals | $924 | $83 |
| Parks & Recreation | $895 | $648 |
| Housing | $2,838 | $1,535 |
| Sewerage | $0 | $268 |
| Utilities | $566 | $2,103 |
| Interest on Debt | $733 | $1,924 |
| General Admin | $0 | $30,834 |
| Other | $5,376 | $2,548 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.