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

Denver, CO vs Boston, MA

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

Summary

Boston spends 53.6% more per capita than Denver ($38,716/person difference). Boston, MA has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 56/100).

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
Boston, MA
Pop. 665,945
C
56/100
Budget Balance25
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Denver
Boston
Total Spending
$23.9B
$48.1B
Spending / Capita
$33,582
$72,299
Total Revenue
$86.8B
$20.8B
Revenue / Capita
$122,063
$31,243
Total Debt
$3.6B
$296.3M
Debt / Capita
$5,126
$445
Population
710,800
665,945
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
Denver$2,455
Boston$0
Fire Protection
Denver$1,668
Boston$1,107
Highways & Roads
Denver$475
Boston$594
Parks & Recreation
Denver$3,319
Boston$711
Education
Denver$821
Boston$30,742
Health
Denver$693
Boston$725

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

DenverBoston
Sales Tax
$2,070
$78
Income Tax
$236
$0
Intergovernmental
$44,661
$5,357
Charges & Fees
$5,207
$2,784
Other
$10,100
$4,557

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

DenverBoston
Police
$2,455
$0
Fire Protection
$1,668
$1,107
Highways & Roads
$475
$594
Education
$821
$30,742
Public Welfare
$764
$1,110
Health
$693
$725
Hospitals
$2,855
$2,584
Parks & Recreation
$3,319
$711
Housing
$3,565
$6,614
Sewerage
$293
$355
Utilities
$4,292
$3,402
Interest on Debt
$7
$0
General Admin
$364
$5,401
Other
$12,011
$18,955
C
Denver, CO
Fiscal Health Score: 51/100
Average fiscal health
C
Boston, MA
Fiscal Health Score: 56/100
Average fiscal health

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