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Data from U.S. Census Bureau · 2026 · Methodology
CitySpend

Boulder, CO

Population: 106,598 (2022) · Mid-Size Cities (100K-250K)

D
43/100

Below average, significant fiscal challenges in multiple areas

Total Spending
$4.2B
Per Capita
$39,636
Total Revenue
$2.8B
Total Debt
$0

Spending Breakdown

Other
42.1%$1.8B
Utilities
18.1%$765.9M
Housing & Community Development
15.4%$649.5M
Hospitals
8.0%$338.7M
Fire Protection
6.5%$276.1M
Public Welfare
5.0%$211.4M
Parks & Recreation
4.2%$178.9M
Highways & Roads
0.6%$27.2M

Spending data sourced from the Census Bureau's Annual Survey of State & Local Government Finances. Per-capita comparisons use the Lincoln Institute's Fiscally Standardized Cities methodology for fair cross-city benchmarking.

Revenue Sources

Property Tax
0.1%$2.0M
Income Tax
3.1%$87.5M
Intergovernmental
100.0%$2.8B
Other
9.2%$258.3M

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection$2,590/person
Highways & Roads$255/person
Parks & Recreation$1,678/person

Score Breakdown

Budget Balance & Reserves (25%)10/100
Debt Burden (20%)100/100
Pension Funding (20%)76/100
Spending Efficiency (15%)0/100
Revenue Diversity (10%)0/100
Trend Direction (10%)50/100

Compare Cities

See how Boulder stacks up against another city.

Data source: U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances (2023). Population from American Community Survey.

Other Cities in Colorado

Frequently Asked Questions

Boulder, CO spends $39,636 per resident, based on total expenditures of $4.2B for a population of 106,598. The city has a Fiscal Health Score of D (43/100).

Boulder, CO has total expenditures of $4.2B and total revenue of $2.8B. The city carries $0 in total debt, based on Census Bureau data from 2023.

Boulder, CO employs 0 government workers, of which 0 are full-time. The average government salary is $0, with 0.0 employees per 10,000 residents.

Boulder, CO has a Fiscal Health Score of D (43/100). This score evaluates budget balance, debt burden, pension funding, spending efficiency, revenue diversity, and 3-year fiscal trajectory compared to peer cities of similar population.

this entity is one of the data points covered by this site’s U.S. municipal and county government finances dataset. The detail above comes directly from the Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances; the context that follows situates the headline numbers against the broader distribution across U.S. cities, counties, and states.

Every number on this page links back to the Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances; the methodology page describes the inputs, refresh cadence, and known limitations of the underlying data product.

For readers using this page as a decision input, the related-entity pages elsewhere on the site provide the comparison set. The most useful comparison for this entity is typically a peer within U.S. cities, counties, and states with similar size, similar exposure, or similar geography — not the national-level summary alone.