Centennial, CO vs Thornton, CO
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Thornton, CO outspends Centennial, CO by a wide margin per resident — $14,462 versus $54, a 26745% 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 54/100 (grade C) for Thornton, CO — a 26-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
Centennial, CO reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Thornton, CO carries $1,221 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 Thornton, CO at $1,969.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 100% of total revenue in Centennial, CO and 100% in Thornton, CO.
Summary
Thornton spends 99.6% more per capita than Centennial ($14,408/person difference). Centennial, CO has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 80/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Sales Tax | $0 | $530 |
| Income Tax | $0 | $420 |
| Intergovernmental | $243 | $17,658 |
| Charges & Fees | $0 | $4,216 |
| Other | $0 | $1,541 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $0 | $427 |
| Highways & Roads | $0 | $411 |
| Public Welfare | $0 | $899 |
| Hospitals | $0 | $173 |
| Parks & Recreation | $54 | $1,969 |
| Housing | $0 | $3,363 |
| Sewerage | $0 | $159 |
| Utilities | $0 | $3,118 |
| Other | $0 | $3,943 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.