Aurora, CO vs Fort Collins, CO
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Fort Collins, CO spends 50% more per resident than Aurora, CO: $26,163 against $17,400. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Aurora, CO holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 66/100 (grade B) against 44/100 (grade D) for Fort Collins, CO — a 22-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
On debt, Fort Collins, CO carries the lighter load at $318 per resident versus $4,017 for Aurora, CO. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Aurora, CO leads with parks and recreation at $1,299 per resident, while Fort Collins, CO leads with highways and roads at $2,411.
They also fund themselves differently: charges and fees is the largest single revenue source in Aurora, CO at 17% of total revenue, whereas Fort Collins, CO relies most on intergovernmental transfers at 100%.
Summary
Fort Collins spends 33.5% more per capita than Aurora ($8,763/person difference). Aurora, CO has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 66/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $0 | $620 |
| Sales Tax | $303 | $618 |
| Intergovernmental | $825 | $13,229 |
| Charges & Fees | $3,728 | $2,187 |
| Other | $2,042 | $3,358 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $785 | $323 |
| Highways & Roads | $0 | $2,411 |
| Education | $0 | $49 |
| Public Welfare | $1,001 | $2,292 |
| Health | $185 | $0 |
| Hospitals | $678 | $1,022 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,299 | $2,355 |
| Housing | $3,493 | $3,104 |
| Utilities | $1,978 | $5,637 |
| Interest on Debt | $0 | $3,129 |
| Other | $7,981 | $5,843 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.