Iowa City, IA vs Davenport, IA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Iowa City, IA spends 16% more per resident than Davenport, IA: $16,449 against $14,236. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Davenport, IA holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 90/100 (grade A) against 62/100 (grade C) for Iowa City, IA — a 28-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
Davenport, IA reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Iowa City, IA carries $183 per resident. Both cities pour the most per-resident dollars into the same function: parks and recreation leads in Iowa City, IA at $1,165 per resident and in Davenport, IA at $895.
They also fund themselves differently: other revenue is the largest single revenue source in Iowa City, IA at 22% of total revenue, whereas Davenport, IA relies most on intergovernmental transfers at 14%.
Summary
Iowa City spends 15.5% more per capita than Davenport ($2,213/person difference). Davenport, IA has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 90/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $14 | $4 |
| Sales Tax | $833 | $966 |
| Income Tax | $1,549 | $715 |
| Intergovernmental | $1,216 | $3,345 |
| Charges & Fees | $1,499 | $0 |
| Other | $2,188 | $3,330 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $461 | $275 |
| Highways & Roads | $112 | $212 |
| Education | $57 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $1,285 | $1,818 |
| Health | $965 | $598 |
| Hospitals | $2,408 | $924 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,165 | $895 |
| Housing | $1,963 | $2,838 |
| Sewerage | $270 | $0 |
| Utilities | $2,351 | $566 |
| Interest on Debt | $1,144 | $733 |
| Other | $4,268 | $5,376 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.