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

Colorado Springs, CO vs Sacramento, CA

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

Reviewed by CitySpend Editorial Team · Updated

Sacramento, CA outspends Colorado Springs, CO by a wide margin per resident — $71,020 versus $13,222, a 437% 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 Sacramento, CA 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.

Sacramento, CA 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 Sacramento, CA leads with police at $5,402.

They also fund themselves differently: intergovernmental transfers is the largest single revenue source in Colorado Springs, CO at 13% of total revenue, whereas Sacramento, CA relies most on other revenue at 8%.

Summary

Sacramento spends 81.4% more per capita than Colorado Springs ($57,798/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
Sacramento, CA
Pop. 523,600
C
57/100
Budget Balance29
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Colorado Springs
Sacramento
Total Spending
$6.3B
$37.2B
Spending / Capita
$13,222
$71,020
Total Revenue
$25.3B
$33.3B
Revenue / Capita
$52,777
$63,682
Total Debt
$1.5B
$0
Debt / Capita
$3,063
$0
Population
479,612
523,600
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
Colorado Springs$0
Sacramento$5,402
Fire Protection
Colorado Springs$1,266
Sacramento$2,466
Parks & Recreation
Colorado Springs$376
Sacramento$1,437
Education
Colorado Springs$0
Sacramento$2,684
Health
Colorado Springs$0
Sacramento$18

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

Colorado SpringsSacramento
Property Tax
$0
$1,465
Sales Tax
$257
$378
Income Tax
$0
$3,104
Intergovernmental
$6,902
$3,400
Charges & Fees
$5,676
$3,239
Other
$2,678
$5,072

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

Colorado SpringsSacramento
Police
$0
$5,402
Fire Protection
$1,266
$2,466
Education
$0
$2,684
Public Welfare
$575
$3,470
Health
$0
$18
Hospitals
$416
$0
Parks & Recreation
$376
$1,437
Housing
$2,713
$8,577
Sewerage
$0
$103
Utilities
$2,566
$19,920
Interest on Debt
$190
$162
Other
$5,120
$26,782
C
Colorado Springs, CO
Fiscal Health Score: 59/100
Average fiscal health
C
Sacramento, CA
Fiscal Health Score: 57/100
Average fiscal health

Compare More Cities

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