West Des Moines, IA vs Waterloo, IA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Summary
Waterloo spends 17.0% more per capita than West Des Moines ($3,023/person difference). Waterloo, IA has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 71/100).
Fiscal Health Score
C
53/100
Budget Balance51
Debt Burden0
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency84
Revenue Diversity71
Trend Direction50
B
71/100
Budget Balance100
Debt Burden28
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency65
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
Key Metrics
Metric
West Des Moines
Waterloo
Total Spending
$1.0B
$1.2B
Spending / Capita
$14,779
$17,802
Total Revenue
$2.4B
$1.6B
Revenue / Capita
$35,361
$23,537
Total Debt
$140.9M
$40.7M
Debt / Capita
$2,050
$605
Population
68,744
67,256
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0
Per Capita Spending by Department
Fire Protection
West Des Moines$240
Waterloo$223
Highways & Roads
West Des Moines$49
Waterloo$108
Parks & Recreation
West Des Moines$1,257
Waterloo$1,325
Education
West Des Moines$3
Waterloo$10
Health
West Des Moines$615
Waterloo$431
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
West Des MoinesWaterloo
| Property Tax | $24 | $59 |
| Sales Tax | $677 | $677 |
| Income Tax | $355 | $920 |
| Intergovernmental | $16,920 | $2,021 |
| Charges & Fees | $2,669 | $1,614 |
| Other | $3,239 | $3,969 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
West Des MoinesWaterloo
| Fire Protection | $240 | $223 |
| Highways & Roads | $49 | $108 |
| Education | $3 | $10 |
| Public Welfare | $1,500 | $2,637 |
| Health | $615 | $431 |
| Hospitals | $290 | $1,864 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,257 | $1,325 |
| Housing | $2,213 | $3,169 |
| Sewerage | $194 | $205 |
| Utilities | $669 | $1,874 |
| Other | $7,750 | $5,957 |
C
West Des Moines, IA
Fiscal Health Score: 53/100
Average fiscal health
B
Waterloo, IA
Fiscal Health Score: 71/100
Good fiscal health