Waterloo, IA vs Ames, IA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Summary
Ames spends 60.4% more per capita than Waterloo ($27,113/person difference). Waterloo, IA has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 71/100).
Fiscal Health Score
B
71/100
Budget Balance100
Debt Burden28
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency65
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
F
34/100
Budget Balance6
Debt Burden13
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
Key Metrics
Metric
Waterloo
Ames
Total Spending
$1.2B
$3.0B
Spending / Capita
$17,802
$44,915
Total Revenue
$1.6B
$2.1B
Revenue / Capita
$23,537
$32,201
Total Debt
$40.7M
$45.1M
Debt / Capita
$605
$680
Population
67,256
66,265
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0
Per Capita Spending by Department
Fire Protection
Waterloo$223
Ames$155
Highways & Roads
Waterloo$108
Ames$61
Parks & Recreation
Waterloo$1,325
Ames$648
Education
Waterloo$10
Ames$41
Health
Waterloo$431
Ames$765
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
WaterlooAmes
| Property Tax | $59 | $5 |
| Sales Tax | $677 | $413 |
| Income Tax | $920 | $648 |
| Intergovernmental | $2,021 | $3,359 |
| Charges & Fees | $1,614 | $1,979 |
| Other | $3,969 | $2,187 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
WaterlooAmes
| Fire Protection | $223 | $155 |
| Highways & Roads | $108 | $61 |
| Education | $10 | $41 |
| Public Welfare | $2,637 | $3,950 |
| Health | $431 | $765 |
| Hospitals | $1,864 | $83 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,325 | $648 |
| Housing | $3,169 | $1,535 |
| Sewerage | $205 | $268 |
| Utilities | $1,874 | $2,103 |
| Interest on Debt | $0 | $1,924 |
| General Admin | $0 | $30,834 |
| Other | $5,957 | $2,548 |
B
Waterloo, IA
Fiscal Health Score: 71/100
Good fiscal health
F
Ames, IA
Fiscal Health Score: 34/100
Critical fiscal distress