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

Detroit, MI vs Grand Rapids, MI

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

Summary

Detroit spends 40.4% more per capita than Grand Rapids ($8,942/person difference). Detroit, MI has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 69/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
Detroit, MI
Pop. 636,787
B
69/100
Budget Balance70
Debt Burden79
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency38
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
City B
Grand Rapids, MI
Pop. 198,096
D
42/100
Budget Balance59
Debt Burden0
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency49
Revenue Diversity0
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Detroit
Grand Rapids
Total Spending
$19.8B
$4.4B
Spending / Capita
$31,087
$22,146
Total Revenue
$28.4B
$5.0B
Revenue / Capita
$44,533
$25,397
Total Debt
$493.9M
$276.2M
Debt / Capita
$776
$1,394
Population
636,787
198,096
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Detroit$2,429
Grand Rapids$1,930
Parks & Recreation
Detroit$950
Grand Rapids$882
Education
Detroit$0
Grand Rapids$133
Health
Detroit$396
Grand Rapids$711

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

DetroitGrand Rapids
Property Tax
$44
$167
Sales Tax
$200
$1,089
Income Tax
$1,045
$429
Intergovernmental
$291
$25,397
Charges & Fees
$2,228
$2,769
Other
$6,892
$5,091

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

DetroitGrand Rapids
Fire Protection
$2,429
$1,930
Education
$0
$133
Public Welfare
$833
$366
Health
$396
$711
Hospitals
$2,217
$2,409
Parks & Recreation
$950
$882
Housing
$5,791
$3,014
Sewerage
$451
$252
Utilities
$2,737
$2,755
Interest on Debt
$2,068
$0
Other
$13,216
$9,692
B
Detroit, MI
Fiscal Health Score: 69/100
Good fiscal health
D
Grand Rapids, MI
Fiscal Health Score: 42/100
Below average fiscal health

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