Colorado Springs, CO vs Sacramento, CA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
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
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| 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)
| 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 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.