West Des Moines, IA vs Council Bluffs, IA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Summary
Council Bluffs spends 16.3% more per capita than West Des Moines ($2,883/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
D
43/100
Budget Balance13
Debt Burden0
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency66
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
Key Metrics
Metric
West Des Moines
Council Bluffs
Total Spending
$1.0B
$1.1B
Spending / Capita
$14,779
$17,662
Total Revenue
$2.4B
$883.7M
Revenue / Capita
$35,361
$14,100
Total Debt
$140.9M
$62.3M
Debt / Capita
$2,050
$994
Population
68,744
62,670
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0
Per Capita Spending by Department
Fire Protection
West Des Moines$240
Council Bluffs$850
Highways & Roads
West Des Moines$49
Council Bluffs$373
Parks & Recreation
West Des Moines$1,257
Council Bluffs$1,587
Education
West Des Moines$3
Council Bluffs$0
Health
West Des Moines$615
Council Bluffs$562
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
West Des MoinesCouncil Bluffs
| Property Tax | $24 | $0 |
| Sales Tax | $677 | $234 |
| Income Tax | $355 | $1,036 |
| Intergovernmental | $16,920 | $383 |
| Charges & Fees | $2,669 | $2,374 |
| Other | $3,239 | $3,427 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
West Des MoinesCouncil Bluffs
| Fire Protection | $240 | $850 |
| Highways & Roads | $49 | $373 |
| Education | $3 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $1,500 | $1,494 |
| Health | $615 | $562 |
| Hospitals | $290 | $138 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,257 | $1,587 |
| Housing | $2,213 | $3,385 |
| Sewerage | $194 | $181 |
| Utilities | $669 | $3,119 |
| Interest on Debt | $0 | $278 |
| Other | $7,750 | $5,695 |
C
West Des Moines, IA
Fiscal Health Score: 53/100
Average fiscal health
D
Council Bluffs, IA
Fiscal Health Score: 43/100
Below average fiscal health