Austin, TX vs Denver, CO
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Denver, CO spends 54% more per resident than Austin, TX: $33,582 against $21,772. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Austin, TX holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 75/100 (grade B) against 51/100 (grade C) for Denver, CO — a 24-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
On debt, Austin, TX carries the lighter load at $1,229 per resident versus $5,126 for Denver, CO. Both cities pour the most per-resident dollars into the same function: parks and recreation leads in Austin, TX at $1,801 per resident and in Denver, CO at $3,319.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 18% of total revenue in Austin, TX and 37% in Denver, CO.
Summary
Denver spends 35.2% more per capita than Austin ($11,810/person difference). Austin, TX has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 75/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Sales Tax | $526 | $2,070 |
| Income Tax | $1,465 | $236 |
| Intergovernmental | $14,031 | $44,661 |
| Charges & Fees | $3,247 | $5,207 |
| Other | $5,645 | $10,100 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $0 | $2,455 |
| Fire Protection | $634 | $1,668 |
| Highways & Roads | $0 | $475 |
| Education | $51 | $821 |
| Public Welfare | $1,837 | $764 |
| Health | $517 | $693 |
| Hospitals | $664 | $2,855 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,801 | $3,319 |
| Housing | $3,741 | $3,565 |
| Sewerage | $865 | $293 |
| Utilities | $3,264 | $4,292 |
| Interest on Debt | $0 | $7 |
| General Admin | $0 | $364 |
| Other | $8,399 | $12,011 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.