Washington, DC vs Detroit, MI
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Summary
Washington spends 682.8% more per capita than Detroit ($212,253/person difference). Detroit, MI has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 69/100).
Fiscal Health Score
D
41/100
Budget Balance45
Debt Burden0
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
B
69/100
Budget Balance70
Debt Burden79
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency38
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
Key Metrics
Metric
Washington
Detroit
Total Spending
$163.2B
$19.8B
Spending / Capita
$243,341
$31,087
Total Revenue
$186.2B
$28.4B
Revenue / Capita
$277,701
$44,533
Total Debt
$1.7B
$493.9M
Debt / Capita
$2,516
$776
Population
670,587
636,787
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0
Per Capita Spending by Department
Police
Washington$4,183
Detroit$0
Fire Protection
Washington$4,262
Detroit$2,429
Highways & Roads
Washington$1,435
Detroit$0
Parks & Recreation
Washington$5,459
Detroit$950
Education
Washington$53,224
Detroit$0
Health
Washington$1,009
Detroit$396
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
WashingtonDetroit
| Property Tax | $25 | $44 |
| Sales Tax | $991 | $200 |
| Income Tax | $141 | $1,045 |
| Intergovernmental | $18,754 | $291 |
| Charges & Fees | $4,070 | $2,228 |
| Other | $11,518 | $6,892 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
WashingtonDetroit
| Police | $4,183 | $0 |
| Fire Protection | $4,262 | $2,429 |
| Highways & Roads | $1,435 | $0 |
| Education | $53,224 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $2,498 | $833 |
| Health | $1,009 | $396 |
| Hospitals | $17,668 | $2,217 |
| Parks & Recreation | $5,459 | $950 |
| Housing | $10,296 | $5,791 |
| Sewerage | $2,881 | $451 |
| Utilities | $88,990 | $2,737 |
| Interest on Debt | $58 | $2,068 |
| General Admin | $3,225 | $0 |
| Other | $48,155 | $13,216 |
D
Washington, DC
Fiscal Health Score: 41/100
Below average fiscal health
B
Detroit, MI
Fiscal Health Score: 69/100
Good fiscal health