Davenport, IA vs Waterloo, IA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Waterloo, IA spends 25% more per resident than Davenport, IA: $17,802 against $14,236. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Davenport, IA holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 90/100 (grade A) against 71/100 (grade B) for Waterloo, IA — a 19-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
Davenport, IA reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Waterloo, IA carries $605 per resident. Both cities pour the most per-resident dollars into the same function: parks and recreation leads in Davenport, IA at $895 per resident and in Waterloo, IA at $1,325.
They also fund themselves differently: intergovernmental transfers is the largest single revenue source in Davenport, IA at 14% of total revenue, whereas Waterloo, IA relies most on other revenue at 17%.
Summary
Waterloo spends 20.0% more per capita than Davenport ($3,567/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 | $59 |
| Sales Tax | $966 | $677 |
| Income Tax | $715 | $920 |
| Intergovernmental | $3,345 | $2,021 |
| Charges & Fees | $0 | $1,614 |
| Other | $3,330 | $3,969 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $275 | $223 |
| Highways & Roads | $212 | $108 |
| Education | $0 | $10 |
| Public Welfare | $1,818 | $2,637 |
| Health | $598 | $431 |
| Hospitals | $924 | $1,864 |
| Parks & Recreation | $895 | $1,325 |
| Housing | $2,838 | $3,169 |
| Sewerage | $0 | $205 |
| Utilities | $566 | $1,874 |
| Interest on Debt | $733 | $0 |
| Other | $5,376 | $5,957 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.