Skip to main content
Data from U.S. Census Bureau · 2026 · Methodology
CitySpend

Detroit, MI vs Sterling Heights, MI

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

Summary

Detroit spends 147.7% more per capita than Sterling Heights ($18,538/person difference). Sterling Heights, MI has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 75/100).

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
Sterling Heights, MI
Pop. 133,744
B
75/100
Budget Balance79
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity0
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Detroit
Sterling Heights
Total Spending
$19.8B
$1.7B
Spending / Capita
$31,087
$12,550
Total Revenue
$28.4B
$2.4B
Revenue / Capita
$44,533
$17,646
Total Debt
$493.9M
$0
Debt / Capita
$776
$0
Population
636,787
133,744
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Detroit$2,429
Sterling Heights$1,634
Highways & Roads
Detroit$0
Sterling Heights$185
Parks & Recreation
Detroit$950
Sterling Heights$11
Health
Detroit$396
Sterling Heights$656

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

DetroitSterling Heights
Property Tax
$44
$0
Sales Tax
$200
$0
Income Tax
$1,045
$0
Intergovernmental
$291
$17,646
Charges & Fees
$2,228
$1,696
Other
$6,892
$3,682

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

DetroitSterling Heights
Fire Protection
$2,429
$1,634
Highways & Roads
$0
$185
Public Welfare
$833
$761
Health
$396
$656
Hospitals
$2,217
$66
Parks & Recreation
$950
$11
Housing
$5,791
$2,747
Sewerage
$451
$159
Utilities
$2,737
$2,756
Interest on Debt
$2,068
$0
Other
$13,216
$3,575
B
Detroit, MI
Fiscal Health Score: 69/100
Good fiscal health
B
Sterling Heights, MI
Fiscal Health Score: 75/100
Good fiscal health

Compare More Cities