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

Denver, CO vs Aurora, CO

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

Summary

Denver spends 93.0% more per capita than Aurora ($16,182/person difference). Aurora, CO has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 66/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
Denver, CO
Pop. 710,800
C
51/100
Budget Balance68
Debt Burden0
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency26
Revenue Diversity99
Trend Direction50
City B
Aurora, CO
Pop. 387,349
B
66/100
Budget Balance84
Debt Burden0
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Denver
Aurora
Total Spending
$23.9B
$6.7B
Spending / Capita
$33,582
$17,400
Total Revenue
$86.8B
$8.4B
Revenue / Capita
$122,063
$21,624
Total Debt
$3.6B
$1.6B
Debt / Capita
$5,126
$4,017
Population
710,800
387,349
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
Denver$2,455
Aurora$0
Fire Protection
Denver$1,668
Aurora$785
Highways & Roads
Denver$475
Aurora$0
Parks & Recreation
Denver$3,319
Aurora$1,299
Education
Denver$821
Aurora$0
Health
Denver$693
Aurora$185

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

DenverAurora
Sales Tax
$2,070
$303
Income Tax
$236
$0
Intergovernmental
$44,661
$825
Charges & Fees
$5,207
$3,728
Other
$10,100
$2,042

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

DenverAurora
Police
$2,455
$0
Fire Protection
$1,668
$785
Highways & Roads
$475
$0
Education
$821
$0
Public Welfare
$764
$1,001
Health
$693
$185
Hospitals
$2,855
$678
Parks & Recreation
$3,319
$1,299
Housing
$3,565
$3,493
Sewerage
$293
$0
Utilities
$4,292
$1,978
Interest on Debt
$7
$0
General Admin
$364
$0
Other
$12,011
$7,981
C
Denver, CO
Fiscal Health Score: 51/100
Average fiscal health
B
Aurora, CO
Fiscal Health Score: 66/100
Good fiscal health

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