West Des Moines, IA vs Iowa City, IA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Summary
Iowa City spends 10.2% more per capita than West Des Moines ($1,670/person difference). Iowa City, IA has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 62/100).
Fiscal Health Score
C
53/100
Budget Balance51
Debt Burden0
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency84
Revenue Diversity71
Trend Direction50
C
62/100
Budget Balance2
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency73
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
Key Metrics
Metric
West Des Moines
Iowa City
Total Spending
$1.0B
$1.2B
Spending / Capita
$14,779
$16,449
Total Revenue
$2.4B
$751.1M
Revenue / Capita
$35,361
$10,031
Total Debt
$140.9M
$13.7M
Debt / Capita
$2,050
$183
Population
68,744
74,878
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0
Per Capita Spending by Department
Fire Protection
West Des Moines$240
Iowa City$461
Highways & Roads
West Des Moines$49
Iowa City$112
Parks & Recreation
West Des Moines$1,257
Iowa City$1,165
Education
West Des Moines$3
Iowa City$57
Health
West Des Moines$615
Iowa City$965
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
West Des MoinesIowa City
| Property Tax | $24 | $14 |
| Sales Tax | $677 | $833 |
| Income Tax | $355 | $1,549 |
| Intergovernmental | $16,920 | $1,216 |
| Charges & Fees | $2,669 | $1,499 |
| Other | $3,239 | $2,188 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
West Des MoinesIowa City
| Fire Protection | $240 | $461 |
| Highways & Roads | $49 | $112 |
| Education | $3 | $57 |
| Public Welfare | $1,500 | $1,285 |
| Health | $615 | $965 |
| Hospitals | $290 | $2,408 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,257 | $1,165 |
| Housing | $2,213 | $1,963 |
| Sewerage | $194 | $270 |
| Utilities | $669 | $2,351 |
| Interest on Debt | $0 | $1,144 |
| Other | $7,750 | $4,268 |
C
West Des Moines, IA
Fiscal Health Score: 53/100
Average fiscal health
C
Iowa City, IA
Fiscal Health Score: 62/100
Average fiscal health