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

Waterloo, IA vs Iowa City, IA

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

Summary

Waterloo spends 8.2% more per capita than Iowa City ($1,353/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
Iowa City, IA
Pop. 74,878
C
62/100
Budget Balance2
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency73
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Waterloo
Iowa City
Total Spending
$1.2B
$1.2B
Spending / Capita
$17,802
$16,449
Total Revenue
$1.6B
$751.1M
Revenue / Capita
$23,537
$10,031
Total Debt
$40.7M
$13.7M
Debt / Capita
$605
$183
Population
67,256
74,878
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Waterloo$223
Iowa City$461
Highways & Roads
Waterloo$108
Iowa City$112
Parks & Recreation
Waterloo$1,325
Iowa City$1,165
Education
Waterloo$10
Iowa City$57
Health
Waterloo$431
Iowa City$965

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

WaterlooIowa City
Property Tax
$59
$14
Sales Tax
$677
$833
Income Tax
$920
$1,549
Intergovernmental
$2,021
$1,216
Charges & Fees
$1,614
$1,499
Other
$3,969
$2,188

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

WaterlooIowa City
Fire Protection
$223
$461
Highways & Roads
$108
$112
Education
$10
$57
Public Welfare
$2,637
$1,285
Health
$431
$965
Hospitals
$1,864
$2,408
Parks & Recreation
$1,325
$1,165
Housing
$3,169
$1,963
Sewerage
$205
$270
Utilities
$1,874
$2,351
Interest on Debt
$0
$1,144
Other
$5,957
$4,268
B
Waterloo, IA
Fiscal Health Score: 71/100
Good fiscal health
C
Iowa City, IA
Fiscal Health Score: 62/100
Average fiscal health

Compare More Cities