Denver, CO vs Austin, TX
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Denver, CO spends 54% more per resident than Austin, TX: $33,582 against $21,772. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Austin, TX holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 75/100 (grade B) against 51/100 (grade C) for Denver, CO — a 24-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
On debt, Austin, TX carries the lighter load at $1,229 per resident versus $5,126 for Denver, CO. Both cities pour the most per-resident dollars into the same function: parks and recreation leads in Denver, CO at $3,319 per resident and in Austin, TX at $1,801.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 37% of total revenue in Denver, CO and 18% in Austin, TX.
Summary
Denver spends 54.2% more per capita than Austin ($11,810/person difference). Austin, TX has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 75/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Sales Tax | $2,070 | $526 |
| Income Tax | $236 | $1,465 |
| Intergovernmental | $44,661 | $14,031 |
| Charges & Fees | $5,207 | $3,247 |
| Other | $10,100 | $5,645 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $2,455 | $0 |
| Fire Protection | $1,668 | $634 |
| Highways & Roads | $475 | $0 |
| Education | $821 | $51 |
| Public Welfare | $764 | $1,837 |
| Health | $693 | $517 |
| Hospitals | $2,855 | $664 |
| Parks & Recreation | $3,319 | $1,801 |
| Housing | $3,565 | $3,741 |
| Sewerage | $293 | $865 |
| Utilities | $4,292 | $3,264 |
| Interest on Debt | $7 | $0 |
| General Admin | $364 | $0 |
| Other | $12,011 | $8,399 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.