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Data from U.S. Census Bureau · 2026 · Methodology
CitySpend

Des Moines, IA vs Cedar Rapids, IA

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

Summary

Cedar Rapids spends 94.6% more per capita than Des Moines ($22,672/person difference). Des Moines, IA has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 55/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
Des Moines, IA
Pop. 213,164
C
55/100
Budget Balance0
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity0
Trend Direction50
City B
Cedar Rapids, IA
Pop. 136,929
C
53/100
Budget Balance67
Debt Burden0
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency38
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Des Moines
Cedar Rapids
Total Spending
$277.4M
$3.3B
Spending / Capita
$1,302
$23,973
Total Revenue
$0
$5.1B
Revenue / Capita
$0
$37,389
Total Debt
$0
$190.4M
Debt / Capita
$0
$1,391
Population
213,164
136,929
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
Des Moines$134
Cedar Rapids$0
Fire Protection
Des Moines$55
Cedar Rapids$466
Highways & Roads
Des Moines$3
Cedar Rapids$102
Parks & Recreation
Des Moines$0
Cedar Rapids$1,165
Education
Des Moines$1
Cedar Rapids$0
Health
Des Moines$8
Cedar Rapids$567

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

Des MoinesCedar Rapids
Property Tax
$0
$8
Sales Tax
$8
$2,450
Income Tax
$0
$1,513
Intergovernmental
$0
$5,898
Charges & Fees
$0
$3,261
Other
$38
$4,807

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

Des MoinesCedar Rapids
Police
$134
$0
Fire Protection
$55
$466
Highways & Roads
$3
$102
Education
$1
$0
Public Welfare
$388
$1,987
Health
$8
$567
Hospitals
$0
$612
Parks & Recreation
$0
$1,165
Housing
$164
$4,126
Sewerage
$0
$314
Utilities
$0
$4,004
Interest on Debt
$1
$737
Other
$547
$9,894
C
Des Moines, IA
Fiscal Health Score: 55/100
Average fiscal health
C
Cedar Rapids, IA
Fiscal Health Score: 53/100
Average fiscal health

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