STERLING HEIGHTS, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – Often times, when making a pitch for more money, municipalities will compare their financial situation with other Michigan cities. The city of Sterling Heights included its list of “Comparable City Benchmarks” that included the cities of Lansing, Ann Arbor, Dearborn, Grand Rapids, Southfield, Farmington Hills, Warren, Livonia and Troy.
Lansing topped the Sterling Heights’ list of residents who carry the most financial burden when measuring on a per-resident basis.
Lansing’s cost per resident for total revenue was $3,687 followed by Ann Arbor at $3,533 and Dearborn at $3,052. Sterling Height came in ninth at $1,818.
Also, Lansing topped the lists of “Total Expenditures Per Resident” and “Fire Expenditures Per Resident.”
Lansing had a population of 112,644 in 2020 and had total expenditures of $232.1 million in 2023, the latest year it has published its annual audit. Sterling Heights had total expenditures of $172.4 million in 2024 with a population in 2020 of 134,346.