Skip to main content
Data from U.S. Census Bureau · 2026 · Methodology
CitySpend

Chicago, IL vs Denver, CO

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

Summary

Chicago spends 2.9% more per capita than Denver ($969/person difference). Chicago, IL has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 61/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
Chicago, IL
Pop. 2,721,914
C
61/100
Budget Balance100
Debt Burden61
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency22
Revenue Diversity0
Trend Direction50
City B
Denver, CO
Pop. 710,800
C
51/100
Budget Balance68
Debt Burden0
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency26
Revenue Diversity99
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Chicago
Denver
Total Spending
$94.0B
$23.9B
Spending / Capita
$34,551
$33,582
Total Revenue
$231.6B
$86.8B
Revenue / Capita
$85,083
$122,063
Total Debt
$2.7B
$3.6B
Debt / Capita
$977
$5,126
Population
2,721,914
710,800
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
Chicago$0
Denver$2,455
Fire Protection
Chicago$10,754
Denver$1,668
Highways & Roads
Chicago$930
Denver$475
Parks & Recreation
Chicago$122
Denver$3,319
Education
Chicago$0
Denver$821
Health
Chicago$426
Denver$693

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

ChicagoDenver
Property Tax
$26
$0
Sales Tax
$74
$2,070
Income Tax
$229
$236
Intergovernmental
$85,083
$44,661
Charges & Fees
$2,847
$5,207
Other
$3,463
$10,100

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

ChicagoDenver
Police
$0
$2,455
Fire Protection
$10,754
$1,668
Highways & Roads
$930
$475
Education
$0
$821
Public Welfare
$1,858
$764
Health
$426
$693
Hospitals
$1,444
$2,855
Parks & Recreation
$122
$3,319
Housing
$6,520
$3,565
Sewerage
$129
$293
Utilities
$2,983
$4,292
Interest on Debt
$0
$7
General Admin
$0
$364
Other
$9,385
$12,011
C
Chicago, IL
Fiscal Health Score: 61/100
Average fiscal health
C
Denver, CO
Fiscal Health Score: 51/100
Average fiscal health

Compare More Cities