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

Des Moines, IA vs Waterloo, IA

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

Summary

Waterloo spends 92.7% more per capita than Des Moines ($16,501/person difference). Waterloo, IA has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 71/100).

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
Waterloo, IA
Pop. 67,256
B
71/100
Budget Balance100
Debt Burden28
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency65
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Des Moines
Waterloo
Total Spending
$277.4M
$1.2B
Spending / Capita
$1,302
$17,802
Total Revenue
$0
$1.6B
Revenue / Capita
$0
$23,537
Total Debt
$0
$40.7M
Debt / Capita
$0
$605
Population
213,164
67,256
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
Des Moines$134
Waterloo$0
Fire Protection
Des Moines$55
Waterloo$223
Highways & Roads
Des Moines$3
Waterloo$108
Parks & Recreation
Des Moines$0
Waterloo$1,325
Education
Des Moines$1
Waterloo$10
Health
Des Moines$8
Waterloo$431

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

Des MoinesWaterloo
Property Tax
$0
$59
Sales Tax
$8
$677
Income Tax
$0
$920
Intergovernmental
$0
$2,021
Charges & Fees
$0
$1,614
Other
$38
$3,969

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

Des MoinesWaterloo
Police
$134
$0
Fire Protection
$55
$223
Highways & Roads
$3
$108
Education
$1
$10
Public Welfare
$388
$2,637
Health
$8
$431
Hospitals
$0
$1,864
Parks & Recreation
$0
$1,325
Housing
$164
$3,169
Sewerage
$0
$205
Utilities
$0
$1,874
Interest on Debt
$1
$0
Other
$547
$5,957
C
Des Moines, IA
Fiscal Health Score: 55/100
Average fiscal health
B
Waterloo, IA
Fiscal Health Score: 71/100
Good fiscal health

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