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

Denver, CO vs Charlotte, NC

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

Summary

Denver spends 111.8% more per capita than Charlotte ($17,729/person difference). Charlotte, NC has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 63/100).

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
Charlotte, NC
Pop. 875,045
C
63/100
Budget Balance71
Debt Burden0
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Denver
Charlotte
Total Spending
$23.9B
$13.9B
Spending / Capita
$33,582
$15,854
Total Revenue
$86.8B
$43.5B
Revenue / Capita
$122,063
$49,746
Total Debt
$3.6B
$2.4B
Debt / Capita
$5,126
$2,690
Population
710,800
875,045
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
Denver$2,455
Charlotte$0
Fire Protection
Denver$1,668
Charlotte$463
Highways & Roads
Denver$475
Charlotte$41
Parks & Recreation
Denver$3,319
Charlotte$1,571
Education
Denver$821
Charlotte$0
Health
Denver$693
Charlotte$0

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

DenverCharlotte
Sales Tax
$2,070
$541
Income Tax
$236
$366
Intergovernmental
$44,661
$1,859
Charges & Fees
$5,207
$2,459
Other
$10,100
$4,866

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

DenverCharlotte
Police
$2,455
$0
Fire Protection
$1,668
$463
Highways & Roads
$475
$41
Education
$821
$0
Public Welfare
$764
$672
Health
$693
$0
Hospitals
$2,855
$1,243
Parks & Recreation
$3,319
$1,571
Housing
$3,565
$3,944
Sewerage
$293
$0
Utilities
$4,292
$2,244
Interest on Debt
$7
$2,226
General Admin
$364
$0
Other
$12,011
$3,448
C
Denver, CO
Fiscal Health Score: 51/100
Average fiscal health
C
Charlotte, NC
Fiscal Health Score: 63/100
Average fiscal health

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