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

Sioux City, IA vs West Des Moines, IA

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

Summary

Sioux City spends 5.4% more per capita than West Des Moines ($797/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
West Des Moines, IA
Pop. 68,744
C
53/100
Budget Balance51
Debt Burden0
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency84
Revenue Diversity71
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Sioux City
West Des Moines
Total Spending
$1.3B
$1.0B
Spending / Capita
$15,576
$14,779
Total Revenue
$2.8B
$2.4B
Revenue / Capita
$33,238
$35,361
Total Debt
$0
$140.9M
Debt / Capita
$0
$2,050
Population
85,469
68,744
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Sioux City$19
West Des Moines$240
Highways & Roads
Sioux City$76
West Des Moines$49
Parks & Recreation
Sioux City$1,182
West Des Moines$1,257
Education
Sioux City$61
West Des Moines$3
Health
Sioux City$413
West Des Moines$615

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

Sioux CityWest Des Moines
Property Tax
$0
$24
Sales Tax
$237
$677
Income Tax
$681
$355
Intergovernmental
$2,787
$16,920
Charges & Fees
$2,603
$2,669
Other
$8,608
$3,239

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

Sioux CityWest Des Moines
Fire Protection
$19
$240
Highways & Roads
$76
$49
Education
$61
$3
Public Welfare
$1,359
$1,500
Health
$413
$615
Hospitals
$1,296
$290
Parks & Recreation
$1,182
$1,257
Housing
$2,881
$2,213
Sewerage
$285
$194
Utilities
$3,339
$669
Other
$4,665
$7,750
B
Sioux City, IA
Fiscal Health Score: 75/100
Good fiscal health
C
West Des Moines, IA
Fiscal Health Score: 53/100
Average fiscal health

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