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

West Des Moines, IA vs Ankeny, IA

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

Summary

West Des Moines spends 48.2% more per capita than Ankeny ($4,809/person difference). Ankeny, IA has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 61/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
West Des Moines, IA
Pop. 68,744
C
53/100
Budget Balance51
Debt Burden0
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency84
Revenue Diversity71
Trend Direction50
City B
Ankeny, IA
Pop. 68,392
C
61/100
Budget Balance65
Debt Burden0
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
West Des Moines
Ankeny
Total Spending
$1.0B
$681.9M
Spending / Capita
$14,779
$9,971
Total Revenue
$2.4B
$1.3B
Revenue / Capita
$35,361
$18,405
Total Debt
$140.9M
$89.9M
Debt / Capita
$2,050
$1,314
Population
68,744
68,392
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
West Des Moines$240
Ankeny$146
Highways & Roads
West Des Moines$49
Ankeny$10
Parks & Recreation
West Des Moines$1,257
Ankeny$1,069
Education
West Des Moines$3
Ankeny$0
Health
West Des Moines$615
Ankeny$379

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

West Des MoinesAnkeny
Property Tax
$24
$0
Sales Tax
$677
$527
Income Tax
$355
$0
Intergovernmental
$16,920
$3,337
Charges & Fees
$2,669
$2,633
Other
$3,239
$3,353

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

West Des MoinesAnkeny
Fire Protection
$240
$146
Highways & Roads
$49
$10
Education
$3
$0
Public Welfare
$1,500
$957
Health
$615
$379
Hospitals
$290
$4
Parks & Recreation
$1,257
$1,069
Housing
$2,213
$2,088
Sewerage
$194
$313
Utilities
$669
$1,853
Other
$7,750
$3,151
C
West Des Moines, IA
Fiscal Health Score: 53/100
Average fiscal health
C
Ankeny, IA
Fiscal Health Score: 61/100
Average fiscal health

Compare More Cities