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

Colorado Springs, CO vs Dallas, TX

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

Reviewed by CitySpend Editorial Team · Updated

Dallas, TX outspends Colorado Springs, CO by a wide margin per resident — $34,849 versus $13,222, a 164% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.

Colorado Springs, CO edges Dallas, TX on the Fiscal Health Score by 2 points — 59/100 (grade C) to 57/100 (grade C). At a margin this narrow the grade is close enough that the factor-level detail matters more than the composite.

Dallas, TX reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Colorado Springs, CO carries $3,063 per resident. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Colorado Springs, CO leads with fire protection at $1,266 per resident, while Dallas, TX leads with police at $1,519.

On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 13% of total revenue in Colorado Springs, CO and 22% in Dallas, TX.

Summary

Dallas spends 62.1% more per capita than Colorado Springs ($21,627/person difference). Colorado Springs, CO has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 59/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
Colorado Springs, CO
Pop. 479,612
C
59/100
Budget Balance54
Debt Burden0
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
City B
Dallas, TX
Pop. 1,300,642
C
57/100
Budget Balance16
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency21
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Colorado Springs
Dallas
Total Spending
$6.3B
$45.3B
Spending / Capita
$13,222
$34,849
Total Revenue
$25.3B
$7.1B
Revenue / Capita
$52,777
$5,474
Total Debt
$1.5B
$0
Debt / Capita
$3,063
$0
Population
479,612
1,300,642
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
Colorado Springs$0
Dallas$1,519
Fire Protection
Colorado Springs$1,266
Dallas$305
Highways & Roads
Colorado Springs$0
Dallas$201
Parks & Recreation
Colorado Springs$376
Dallas$0
Education
Colorado Springs$0
Dallas$62

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

Colorado SpringsDallas
Property Tax
$0
$9
Sales Tax
$257
$25
Intergovernmental
$6,902
$1,223
Charges & Fees
$5,676
$0
Other
$2,678
$584

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

Colorado SpringsDallas
Police
$0
$1,519
Fire Protection
$1,266
$305
Highways & Roads
$0
$201
Education
$0
$62
Public Welfare
$575
$215
Hospitals
$416
$385
Parks & Recreation
$376
$0
Housing
$2,713
$444
Utilities
$2,566
$833
Interest on Debt
$190
$0
General Admin
$0
$25,827
Other
$5,120
$5,059
C
Colorado Springs, CO
Fiscal Health Score: 59/100
Average fiscal health
C
Dallas, TX
Fiscal Health Score: 57/100
Average fiscal health

Compare More Cities

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