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

Aurora, CO vs Thornton, CO

Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)

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

City A
Aurora, CO
Pop. 387,349
B
66/100
Budget Balance84
Debt Burden0
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
City B
Thornton, CO
Pop. 141,799
C
54/100
Budget Balance78
Debt Burden3
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency94
Revenue Diversity0
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Aurora
Thornton
Total Spending
$6.7B
$2.1B
Spending / Capita
$17,400
$14,462
Total Revenue
$8.4B
$2.5B
Revenue / Capita
$21,624
$17,658
Total Debt
$1.6B
$173.1M
Debt / Capita
$4,017
$1,221
Population
387,349
141,799
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Aurora$785
Thornton$427
Highways & Roads
Aurora$0
Thornton$411
Parks & Recreation
Aurora$1,299
Thornton$1,969
Health
Aurora$185
Thornton$0

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

AuroraThornton
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)

AuroraThornton
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
B
Aurora, CO
Fiscal Health Score: 66/100
Good fiscal health
C
Thornton, CO
Fiscal Health Score: 54/100
Average fiscal health

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