Skip to main content
Data from U.S. Census Bureau · 2026 · Methodology
CitySpend

Waterloo, IA vs Des Moines, IA

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

Summary

Waterloo spends 1267.8% more per capita than Des Moines ($16,501/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
Des Moines, IA
Pop. 213,164
C
55/100
Budget Balance0
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity0
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Waterloo
Des Moines
Total Spending
$1.2B
$277.4M
Spending / Capita
$17,802
$1,302
Total Revenue
$1.6B
$0
Revenue / Capita
$23,537
$0
Total Debt
$40.7M
$0
Debt / Capita
$605
$0
Population
67,256
213,164
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
Waterloo$0
Des Moines$134
Fire Protection
Waterloo$223
Des Moines$55
Highways & Roads
Waterloo$108
Des Moines$3
Parks & Recreation
Waterloo$1,325
Des Moines$0
Education
Waterloo$10
Des Moines$1
Health
Waterloo$431
Des Moines$8

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

WaterlooDes Moines
Property Tax
$59
$0
Sales Tax
$677
$8
Income Tax
$920
$0
Intergovernmental
$2,021
$0
Charges & Fees
$1,614
$0
Other
$3,969
$38

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

WaterlooDes Moines
Police
$0
$134
Fire Protection
$223
$55
Highways & Roads
$108
$3
Education
$10
$1
Public Welfare
$2,637
$388
Health
$431
$8
Hospitals
$1,864
$0
Parks & Recreation
$1,325
$0
Housing
$3,169
$164
Sewerage
$205
$0
Utilities
$1,874
$0
Interest on Debt
$0
$1
Other
$5,957
$547
B
Waterloo, IA
Fiscal Health Score: 71/100
Good fiscal health
C
Des Moines, IA
Fiscal Health Score: 55/100
Average fiscal health

Compare More Cities