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

Iowa City, IA vs Waterloo, IA

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

Summary

Waterloo spends 7.6% more per capita than Iowa City ($1,353/person difference). Waterloo, IA has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 71/100).

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
Waterloo, IA
Pop. 67,256
B
71/100
Budget Balance100
Debt Burden28
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency65
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Iowa City
Waterloo
Total Spending
$1.2B
$1.2B
Spending / Capita
$16,449
$17,802
Total Revenue
$751.1M
$1.6B
Revenue / Capita
$10,031
$23,537
Total Debt
$13.7M
$40.7M
Debt / Capita
$183
$605
Population
74,878
67,256
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Iowa City$461
Waterloo$223
Highways & Roads
Iowa City$112
Waterloo$108
Parks & Recreation
Iowa City$1,165
Waterloo$1,325
Education
Iowa City$57
Waterloo$10
Health
Iowa City$965
Waterloo$431

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

Iowa CityWaterloo
Property Tax
$14
$59
Sales Tax
$833
$677
Income Tax
$1,549
$920
Intergovernmental
$1,216
$2,021
Charges & Fees
$1,499
$1,614
Other
$2,188
$3,969

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

Iowa CityWaterloo
Fire Protection
$461
$223
Highways & Roads
$112
$108
Education
$57
$10
Public Welfare
$1,285
$2,637
Health
$965
$431
Hospitals
$2,408
$1,864
Parks & Recreation
$1,165
$1,325
Housing
$1,963
$3,169
Sewerage
$270
$205
Utilities
$2,351
$1,874
Interest on Debt
$1,144
$0
Other
$4,268
$5,957
C
Iowa City, IA
Fiscal Health Score: 62/100
Average fiscal health
B
Waterloo, IA
Fiscal Health Score: 71/100
Good fiscal health

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