Detroit, MI vs Washington, DC
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Summary
Washington spends 87.2% more per capita than Detroit ($212,253/person difference). Detroit, MI has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 69/100).
Fiscal Health Score
B
69/100
Budget Balance70
Debt Burden79
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency38
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
D
41/100
Budget Balance45
Debt Burden0
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
Key Metrics
Metric
Detroit
Washington
Total Spending
$19.8B
$163.2B
Spending / Capita
$31,087
$243,341
Total Revenue
$28.4B
$186.2B
Revenue / Capita
$44,533
$277,701
Total Debt
$493.9M
$1.7B
Debt / Capita
$776
$2,516
Population
636,787
670,587
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0
Per Capita Spending by Department
Police
Detroit$0
Washington$4,183
Fire Protection
Detroit$2,429
Washington$4,262
Highways & Roads
Detroit$0
Washington$1,435
Parks & Recreation
Detroit$950
Washington$5,459
Education
Detroit$0
Washington$53,224
Health
Detroit$396
Washington$1,009
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
DetroitWashington
| Property Tax | $44 | $25 |
| Sales Tax | $200 | $991 |
| Income Tax | $1,045 | $141 |
| Intergovernmental | $291 | $18,754 |
| Charges & Fees | $2,228 | $4,070 |
| Other | $6,892 | $11,518 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
DetroitWashington
| Police | $0 | $4,183 |
| Fire Protection | $2,429 | $4,262 |
| Highways & Roads | $0 | $1,435 |
| Education | $0 | $53,224 |
| Public Welfare | $833 | $2,498 |
| Health | $396 | $1,009 |
| Hospitals | $2,217 | $17,668 |
| Parks & Recreation | $950 | $5,459 |
| Housing | $5,791 | $10,296 |
| Sewerage | $451 | $2,881 |
| Utilities | $2,737 | $88,990 |
| Interest on Debt | $2,068 | $58 |
| General Admin | $0 | $3,225 |
| Other | $13,216 | $48,155 |
B
Detroit, MI
Fiscal Health Score: 69/100
Good fiscal health
D
Washington, DC
Fiscal Health Score: 41/100
Below average fiscal health