Westland, MI vs Dearborn, MI
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Dearborn, MI spends 29% more per resident than Westland, MI: $17,273 against $13,362. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Dearborn, MI edges Westland, MI on the Fiscal Health Score by 4 points — 65/100 (grade B) to 61/100 (grade C). At a margin this narrow the grade is close enough that the factor-level detail matters more than the composite.
On debt, Dearborn, MI carries the lighter load at $264 per resident versus $267 for Westland, MI. Both cities pour the most per-resident dollars into the same function: fire protection leads in Westland, MI at $1,333 per resident and in Dearborn, MI at $1,938.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 100% of total revenue in Westland, MI and 100% in Dearborn, MI.
Summary
Dearborn spends 22.6% more per capita than Westland ($3,911/person difference). Dearborn, MI has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 65/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Sales Tax | $0 | $756 |
| Intergovernmental | $12,877 | $23,576 |
| Charges & Fees | $1,581 | $2,326 |
| Other | $3,274 | $3,543 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $1,333 | $1,938 |
| Highways & Roads | $145 | $21 |
| Public Welfare | $1,350 | $1,485 |
| Health | $859 | $492 |
| Hospitals | $136 | $222 |
| Parks & Recreation | $555 | $1,639 |
| Housing | $2,581 | $3,896 |
| Sewerage | $0 | $219 |
| Utilities | $812 | $1,958 |
| Interest on Debt | $0 | $35 |
| Other | $5,590 | $5,368 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.