Des Moines, IA vs Council Bluffs, IA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Summary
Council Bluffs spends 92.6% more per capita than Des Moines ($16,361/person difference). Des Moines, IA has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 55/100).
Fiscal Health Score
C
55/100
Budget Balance0
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity0
Trend Direction50
D
43/100
Budget Balance13
Debt Burden0
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency66
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
Key Metrics
Metric
Des Moines
Council Bluffs
Total Spending
$277.4M
$1.1B
Spending / Capita
$1,302
$17,662
Total Revenue
$0
$883.7M
Revenue / Capita
$0
$14,100
Total Debt
$0
$62.3M
Debt / Capita
$0
$994
Population
213,164
62,670
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0
Per Capita Spending by Department
Police
Des Moines$134
Council Bluffs$0
Fire Protection
Des Moines$55
Council Bluffs$850
Highways & Roads
Des Moines$3
Council Bluffs$373
Parks & Recreation
Des Moines$0
Council Bluffs$1,587
Education
Des Moines$1
Council Bluffs$0
Health
Des Moines$8
Council Bluffs$562
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
Des MoinesCouncil Bluffs
| Sales Tax | $8 | $234 |
| Income Tax | $0 | $1,036 |
| Intergovernmental | $0 | $383 |
| Charges & Fees | $0 | $2,374 |
| Other | $38 | $3,427 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
Des MoinesCouncil Bluffs
| Police | $134 | $0 |
| Fire Protection | $55 | $850 |
| Highways & Roads | $3 | $373 |
| Education | $1 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $388 | $1,494 |
| Health | $8 | $562 |
| Hospitals | $0 | $138 |
| Parks & Recreation | $0 | $1,587 |
| Housing | $164 | $3,385 |
| Sewerage | $0 | $181 |
| Utilities | $0 | $3,119 |
| Interest on Debt | $1 | $278 |
| Other | $547 | $5,695 |
C
Des Moines, IA
Fiscal Health Score: 55/100
Average fiscal health
D
Council Bluffs, IA
Fiscal Health Score: 43/100
Below average fiscal health