Albuquerque, NM vs Colorado Springs, CO
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Albuquerque, NM spends 30% more per resident than Colorado Springs, CO: $17,237 against $13,222. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Albuquerque, NM holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 81/100 (grade A) against 59/100 (grade C) for Colorado Springs, CO — a 22-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
On debt, Albuquerque, NM carries the lighter load at $613 per resident versus $3,063 for Colorado Springs, CO. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Albuquerque, NM leads with parks and recreation at $1,990 per resident, while Colorado Springs, CO leads with fire protection at $1,266.
They also fund themselves differently: charges and fees is the largest single revenue source in Albuquerque, NM at 11% of total revenue, whereas Colorado Springs, CO relies most on intergovernmental transfers at 13%.
Summary
Albuquerque spends 30.4% more per capita than Colorado Springs ($4,015/person difference). Albuquerque, NM has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 81/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $36 | $0 |
| Sales Tax | $355 | $257 |
| Income Tax | $1,580 | $0 |
| Intergovernmental | $1,897 | $6,902 |
| Charges & Fees | $2,633 | $5,676 |
| Other | $2,174 | $2,678 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $440 | $1,266 |
| Highways & Roads | $172 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $419 | $575 |
| Health | $291 | $0 |
| Hospitals | $328 | $416 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,990 | $376 |
| Housing | $4,080 | $2,713 |
| Utilities | $5,212 | $2,566 |
| Interest on Debt | $1,096 | $190 |
| Other | $3,209 | $5,120 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.