West Des Moines, IA vs Ames, IA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Summary
Ames spends 67.1% more per capita than West Des Moines ($30,136/person difference). West Des Moines, IA has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 53/100).
Fiscal Health Score
C
53/100
Budget Balance51
Debt Burden0
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency84
Revenue Diversity71
Trend Direction50
F
34/100
Budget Balance6
Debt Burden13
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
Key Metrics
Metric
West Des Moines
Ames
Total Spending
$1.0B
$3.0B
Spending / Capita
$14,779
$44,915
Total Revenue
$2.4B
$2.1B
Revenue / Capita
$35,361
$32,201
Total Debt
$140.9M
$45.1M
Debt / Capita
$2,050
$680
Population
68,744
66,265
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0
Per Capita Spending by Department
Fire Protection
West Des Moines$240
Ames$155
Highways & Roads
West Des Moines$49
Ames$61
Parks & Recreation
West Des Moines$1,257
Ames$648
Education
West Des Moines$3
Ames$41
Health
West Des Moines$615
Ames$765
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
West Des MoinesAmes
| Property Tax | $24 | $5 |
| Sales Tax | $677 | $413 |
| Income Tax | $355 | $648 |
| Intergovernmental | $16,920 | $3,359 |
| Charges & Fees | $2,669 | $1,979 |
| Other | $3,239 | $2,187 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
West Des MoinesAmes
| Fire Protection | $240 | $155 |
| Highways & Roads | $49 | $61 |
| Education | $3 | $41 |
| Public Welfare | $1,500 | $3,950 |
| Health | $615 | $765 |
| Hospitals | $290 | $83 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,257 | $648 |
| Housing | $2,213 | $1,535 |
| Sewerage | $194 | $268 |
| Utilities | $669 | $2,103 |
| Interest on Debt | $0 | $1,924 |
| General Admin | $0 | $30,834 |
| Other | $7,750 | $2,548 |
C
West Des Moines, IA
Fiscal Health Score: 53/100
Average fiscal health
F
Ames, IA
Fiscal Health Score: 34/100
Critical fiscal distress