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

Iowa City, IA vs Cedar Rapids, IA

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

Summary

Cedar Rapids spends 31.4% more per capita than Iowa City ($7,524/person difference). Iowa City, IA has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 62/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
Iowa City, IA
Pop. 74,878
C
62/100
Budget Balance2
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency73
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
City B
Cedar Rapids, IA
Pop. 136,929
C
53/100
Budget Balance67
Debt Burden0
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency38
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Iowa City
Cedar Rapids
Total Spending
$1.2B
$3.3B
Spending / Capita
$16,449
$23,973
Total Revenue
$751.1M
$5.1B
Revenue / Capita
$10,031
$37,389
Total Debt
$13.7M
$190.4M
Debt / Capita
$183
$1,391
Population
74,878
136,929
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Iowa City$461
Cedar Rapids$466
Highways & Roads
Iowa City$112
Cedar Rapids$102
Parks & Recreation
Iowa City$1,165
Cedar Rapids$1,165
Education
Iowa City$57
Cedar Rapids$0
Health
Iowa City$965
Cedar Rapids$567

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

Iowa CityCedar Rapids
Property Tax
$14
$8
Sales Tax
$833
$2,450
Income Tax
$1,549
$1,513
Intergovernmental
$1,216
$5,898
Charges & Fees
$1,499
$3,261
Other
$2,188
$4,807

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

Iowa CityCedar Rapids
Fire Protection
$461
$466
Highways & Roads
$112
$102
Education
$57
$0
Public Welfare
$1,285
$1,987
Health
$965
$567
Hospitals
$2,408
$612
Parks & Recreation
$1,165
$1,165
Housing
$1,963
$4,126
Sewerage
$270
$314
Utilities
$2,351
$4,004
Interest on Debt
$1,144
$737
Other
$4,268
$9,894
C
Iowa City, IA
Fiscal Health Score: 62/100
Average fiscal health
C
Cedar Rapids, IA
Fiscal Health Score: 53/100
Average fiscal health

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