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

Detroit, MI vs Lansing, MI

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

Summary

Detroit spends 0.5% more per capita than Lansing ($165/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
Lansing, MI
Pop. 112,986
C
55/100
Budget Balance57
Debt Burden54
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Detroit
Lansing
Total Spending
$19.8B
$3.5B
Spending / Capita
$31,087
$30,923
Total Revenue
$28.4B
$10.8B
Revenue / Capita
$44,533
$95,909
Total Debt
$493.9M
$90.0M
Debt / Capita
$776
$796
Population
636,787
112,986
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Detroit$2,429
Lansing$3,190
Parks & Recreation
Detroit$950
Lansing$2,023
Education
Detroit$0
Lansing$61
Health
Detroit$396
Lansing$0

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

DetroitLansing
Property Tax
$44
$0
Sales Tax
$200
$611
Income Tax
$1,045
$698
Intergovernmental
$291
$20,165
Charges & Fees
$2,228
$4,486
Other
$6,892
$6,549

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

DetroitLansing
Fire Protection
$2,429
$3,190
Education
$0
$61
Public Welfare
$833
$2,424
Health
$396
$0
Hospitals
$2,217
$2,917
Parks & Recreation
$950
$2,023
Housing
$5,791
$4,499
Sewerage
$451
$0
Utilities
$2,737
$3,743
Interest on Debt
$2,068
$0
Other
$13,216
$12,066
B
Detroit, MI
Fiscal Health Score: 69/100
Good fiscal health
C
Lansing, MI
Fiscal Health Score: 55/100
Average fiscal health

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