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

Waterloo, IA vs Cedar Rapids, IA

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

Summary

Cedar Rapids spends 25.7% more per capita than Waterloo ($6,171/person difference). Waterloo, IA has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 71/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
Waterloo, IA
Pop. 67,256
B
71/100
Budget Balance100
Debt Burden28
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency65
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
City B
Cedar Rapids, IA
Pop. 136,929
C
53/100
Budget Balance67
Debt Burden0
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency38
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Waterloo
Cedar Rapids
Total Spending
$1.2B
$3.3B
Spending / Capita
$17,802
$23,973
Total Revenue
$1.6B
$5.1B
Revenue / Capita
$23,537
$37,389
Total Debt
$40.7M
$190.4M
Debt / Capita
$605
$1,391
Population
67,256
136,929
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Waterloo$223
Cedar Rapids$466
Highways & Roads
Waterloo$108
Cedar Rapids$102
Parks & Recreation
Waterloo$1,325
Cedar Rapids$1,165
Education
Waterloo$10
Cedar Rapids$0
Health
Waterloo$431
Cedar Rapids$567

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

WaterlooCedar Rapids
Property Tax
$59
$8
Sales Tax
$677
$2,450
Income Tax
$920
$1,513
Intergovernmental
$2,021
$5,898
Charges & Fees
$1,614
$3,261
Other
$3,969
$4,807

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

WaterlooCedar Rapids
Fire Protection
$223
$466
Highways & Roads
$108
$102
Education
$10
$0
Public Welfare
$2,637
$1,987
Health
$431
$567
Hospitals
$1,864
$612
Parks & Recreation
$1,325
$1,165
Housing
$3,169
$4,126
Sewerage
$205
$314
Utilities
$1,874
$4,004
Interest on Debt
$0
$737
Other
$5,957
$9,894
B
Waterloo, IA
Fiscal Health Score: 71/100
Good fiscal health
C
Cedar Rapids, IA
Fiscal Health Score: 53/100
Average fiscal health

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