Grand Rapids, MI vs Detroit, MI
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Summary
Detroit spends 28.8% more per capita than Grand Rapids ($8,942/person difference). Detroit, MI has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 69/100).
Fiscal Health Score
D
42/100
Budget Balance59
Debt Burden0
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency49
Revenue Diversity0
Trend Direction50
B
69/100
Budget Balance70
Debt Burden79
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency38
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
Key Metrics
Metric
Grand Rapids
Detroit
Total Spending
$4.4B
$19.8B
Spending / Capita
$22,146
$31,087
Total Revenue
$5.0B
$28.4B
Revenue / Capita
$25,397
$44,533
Total Debt
$276.2M
$493.9M
Debt / Capita
$1,394
$776
Population
198,096
636,787
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0
Per Capita Spending by Department
Fire Protection
Grand Rapids$1,930
Detroit$2,429
Parks & Recreation
Grand Rapids$882
Detroit$950
Education
Grand Rapids$133
Detroit$0
Health
Grand Rapids$711
Detroit$396
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
Grand RapidsDetroit
| Property Tax | $167 | $44 |
| Sales Tax | $1,089 | $200 |
| Income Tax | $429 | $1,045 |
| Intergovernmental | $25,397 | $291 |
| Charges & Fees | $2,769 | $2,228 |
| Other | $5,091 | $6,892 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
Grand RapidsDetroit
| Fire Protection | $1,930 | $2,429 |
| Education | $133 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $366 | $833 |
| Health | $711 | $396 |
| Hospitals | $2,409 | $2,217 |
| Parks & Recreation | $882 | $950 |
| Housing | $3,014 | $5,791 |
| Sewerage | $252 | $451 |
| Utilities | $2,755 | $2,737 |
| Interest on Debt | $0 | $2,068 |
| Other | $9,692 | $13,216 |
D
Grand Rapids, MI
Fiscal Health Score: 42/100
Below average fiscal health
B
Detroit, MI
Fiscal Health Score: 69/100
Good fiscal health