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

Centennial, CO vs Aurora, CO

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

Reviewed by CitySpend Editorial Team · Updated

Aurora, CO outspends Centennial, CO by a wide margin per resident — $17,400 versus $54, a 32199% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.

Centennial, CO holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 80/100 (grade A) against 66/100 (grade B) for Aurora, CO — a 14-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.

Centennial, CO reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Aurora, CO carries $4,017 per resident. Both cities pour the most per-resident dollars into the same function: parks and recreation leads in Centennial, CO at $54 per resident and in Aurora, CO at $1,299.

They also fund themselves differently: intergovernmental transfers is the largest single revenue source in Centennial, CO at 100% of total revenue, whereas Aurora, CO relies most on charges and fees at 17%.

Summary

Aurora spends 99.7% more per capita than Centennial ($17,346/person difference). Centennial, CO has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 80/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
Centennial, CO
Pop. 107,702
A
80/100
Budget Balance100
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity0
Trend Direction50
City B
Aurora, CO
Pop. 387,349
B
66/100
Budget Balance84
Debt Burden0
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Centennial
Aurora
Total Spending
$5.8M
$6.7B
Spending / Capita
$54
$17,400
Total Revenue
$26.2M
$8.4B
Revenue / Capita
$243
$21,624
Total Debt
$0
$1.6B
Debt / Capita
$0
$4,017
Population
107,702
387,349
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Centennial$0
Aurora$785
Parks & Recreation
Centennial$54
Aurora$1,299
Health
Centennial$0
Aurora$185

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

CentennialAurora
Sales Tax
$0
$303
Intergovernmental
$243
$825
Charges & Fees
$0
$3,728
Other
$0
$2,042

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

CentennialAurora
Fire Protection
$0
$785
Public Welfare
$0
$1,001
Health
$0
$185
Hospitals
$0
$678
Parks & Recreation
$54
$1,299
Housing
$0
$3,493
Utilities
$0
$1,978
Other
$0
$7,981
A
Centennial, CO
Fiscal Health Score: 80/100
Excellent fiscal health
B
Aurora, CO
Fiscal Health Score: 66/100
Good fiscal health

Compare More Cities

Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.