Aurora, CO vs Thornton, CO
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Aurora, CO spends 20% more per resident than Thornton, CO: $17,400 against $14,462. 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 54/100 (grade C) for Thornton, CO — a 12-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
On debt, Thornton, CO carries the lighter load at $1,221 per resident versus $4,017 for Aurora, CO. Both cities pour the most per-resident dollars into the same function: parks and recreation leads in Aurora, CO at $1,299 per resident and in Thornton, CO at $1,969.
They also fund themselves differently: charges and fees is the largest single revenue source in Aurora, CO at 17% of total revenue, whereas Thornton, CO relies most on intergovernmental transfers at 100%.
Summary
Aurora spends 20.3% more per capita than Thornton ($2,938/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)
| Sales Tax | $303 | $530 |
| Income Tax | $0 | $420 |
| Intergovernmental | $825 | $17,658 |
| Charges & Fees | $3,728 | $4,216 |
| Other | $2,042 | $1,541 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $785 | $427 |
| Highways & Roads | $0 | $411 |
| Public Welfare | $1,001 | $899 |
| Health | $185 | $0 |
| Hospitals | $678 | $173 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,299 | $1,969 |
| Housing | $3,493 | $3,363 |
| Sewerage | $0 | $159 |
| Utilities | $1,978 | $3,118 |
| Other | $7,981 | $3,943 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.