Iowa City, IA vs Des Moines, IA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Summary
Iowa City spends 1163.8% more per capita than Des Moines ($15,148/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
C
55/100
Budget Balance0
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity0
Trend Direction50
Key Metrics
Metric
Iowa City
Des Moines
Total Spending
$1.2B
$277.4M
Spending / Capita
$16,449
$1,302
Total Revenue
$751.1M
$0
Revenue / Capita
$10,031
$0
Total Debt
$13.7M
$0
Debt / Capita
$183
$0
Population
74,878
213,164
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0
Per Capita Spending by Department
Police
Iowa City$0
Des Moines$134
Fire Protection
Iowa City$461
Des Moines$55
Highways & Roads
Iowa City$112
Des Moines$3
Parks & Recreation
Iowa City$1,165
Des Moines$0
Education
Iowa City$57
Des Moines$1
Health
Iowa City$965
Des Moines$8
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
Iowa CityDes Moines
| Property Tax | $14 | $0 |
| Sales Tax | $833 | $8 |
| Income Tax | $1,549 | $0 |
| Intergovernmental | $1,216 | $0 |
| Charges & Fees | $1,499 | $0 |
| Other | $2,188 | $38 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
Iowa CityDes Moines
| Police | $0 | $134 |
| Fire Protection | $461 | $55 |
| Highways & Roads | $112 | $3 |
| Education | $57 | $1 |
| Public Welfare | $1,285 | $388 |
| Health | $965 | $8 |
| Hospitals | $2,408 | $0 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,165 | $0 |
| Housing | $1,963 | $164 |
| Sewerage | $270 | $0 |
| Utilities | $2,351 | $0 |
| Interest on Debt | $1,144 | $1 |
| Other | $4,268 | $547 |
C
Iowa City, IA
Fiscal Health Score: 62/100
Average fiscal health
C
Des Moines, IA
Fiscal Health Score: 55/100
Average fiscal health