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

Sioux City, IA vs Des Moines, IA

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

Summary

Sioux City spends 1096.8% more per capita than Des Moines ($14,275/person difference). Sioux City, IA has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 75/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
Sioux City, IA
Pop. 85,469
B
75/100
Budget Balance53
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency79
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
City B
Des Moines, IA
Pop. 213,164
C
55/100
Budget Balance0
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity0
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Sioux City
Des Moines
Total Spending
$1.3B
$277.4M
Spending / Capita
$15,576
$1,302
Total Revenue
$2.8B
$0
Revenue / Capita
$33,238
$0
Total Debt
$0
$0
Debt / Capita
$0
$0
Population
85,469
213,164
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
Sioux City$0
Des Moines$134
Fire Protection
Sioux City$19
Des Moines$55
Highways & Roads
Sioux City$76
Des Moines$3
Parks & Recreation
Sioux City$1,182
Des Moines$0
Education
Sioux City$61
Des Moines$1
Health
Sioux City$413
Des Moines$8

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

Sioux CityDes Moines
Sales Tax
$237
$8
Income Tax
$681
$0
Intergovernmental
$2,787
$0
Charges & Fees
$2,603
$0
Other
$8,608
$38

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

Sioux CityDes Moines
Police
$0
$134
Fire Protection
$19
$55
Highways & Roads
$76
$3
Education
$61
$1
Public Welfare
$1,359
$388
Health
$413
$8
Hospitals
$1,296
$0
Parks & Recreation
$1,182
$0
Housing
$2,881
$164
Sewerage
$285
$0
Utilities
$3,339
$0
Interest on Debt
$0
$1
Other
$4,665
$547
B
Sioux City, IA
Fiscal Health Score: 75/100
Good fiscal health
C
Des Moines, IA
Fiscal Health Score: 55/100
Average fiscal health

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