Iowa City, IA vs Ames, IA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Summary
Ames spends 63.4% more per capita than Iowa City ($28,466/person difference). Iowa City, IA has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 62/100).
Fiscal Health Score
C
62/100
Budget Balance2
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency73
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
F
34/100
Budget Balance6
Debt Burden13
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
Key Metrics
Metric
Iowa City
Ames
Total Spending
$1.2B
$3.0B
Spending / Capita
$16,449
$44,915
Total Revenue
$751.1M
$2.1B
Revenue / Capita
$10,031
$32,201
Total Debt
$13.7M
$45.1M
Debt / Capita
$183
$680
Population
74,878
66,265
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0
Per Capita Spending by Department
Fire Protection
Iowa City$461
Ames$155
Highways & Roads
Iowa City$112
Ames$61
Parks & Recreation
Iowa City$1,165
Ames$648
Education
Iowa City$57
Ames$41
Health
Iowa City$965
Ames$765
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
Iowa CityAmes
| Property Tax | $14 | $5 |
| Sales Tax | $833 | $413 |
| Income Tax | $1,549 | $648 |
| Intergovernmental | $1,216 | $3,359 |
| Charges & Fees | $1,499 | $1,979 |
| Other | $2,188 | $2,187 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
Iowa CityAmes
| Fire Protection | $461 | $155 |
| Highways & Roads | $112 | $61 |
| Education | $57 | $41 |
| Public Welfare | $1,285 | $3,950 |
| Health | $965 | $765 |
| Hospitals | $2,408 | $83 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,165 | $648 |
| Housing | $1,963 | $1,535 |
| Sewerage | $270 | $268 |
| Utilities | $2,351 | $2,103 |
| Interest on Debt | $1,144 | $1,924 |
| General Admin | $0 | $30,834 |
| Other | $4,268 | $2,548 |
C
Iowa City, IA
Fiscal Health Score: 62/100
Average fiscal health
F
Ames, IA
Fiscal Health Score: 34/100
Critical fiscal distress