Waterloo, IA vs Davenport, IA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Waterloo, IA spends 25% more per resident than Davenport, IA: $17,802 against $14,236. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Davenport, IA holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 90/100 (grade A) against 71/100 (grade B) for Waterloo, IA — a 19-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
Davenport, IA reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Waterloo, IA carries $605 per resident. Both cities pour the most per-resident dollars into the same function: parks and recreation leads in Waterloo, IA at $1,325 per resident and in Davenport, IA at $895.
They also fund themselves differently: other revenue is the largest single revenue source in Waterloo, IA at 17% of total revenue, whereas Davenport, IA relies most on intergovernmental transfers at 14%.
Summary
Waterloo spends 25.1% more per capita than Davenport ($3,567/person difference). Davenport, IA has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 90/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $59 | $4 |
| Sales Tax | $677 | $966 |
| Income Tax | $920 | $715 |
| Intergovernmental | $2,021 | $3,345 |
| Charges & Fees | $1,614 | $0 |
| Other | $3,969 | $3,330 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $223 | $275 |
| Highways & Roads | $108 | $212 |
| Education | $10 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $2,637 | $1,818 |
| Health | $431 | $598 |
| Hospitals | $1,864 | $924 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,325 | $895 |
| Housing | $3,169 | $2,838 |
| Sewerage | $205 | $0 |
| Utilities | $1,874 | $566 |
| Interest on Debt | $0 | $733 |
| Other | $5,957 | $5,376 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.