Denver, CO vs Chicago, IL
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Summary
Chicago spends 2.8% more per capita than Denver ($969/person difference). Chicago, IL has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 61/100).
Fiscal Health Score
C
51/100
Budget Balance68
Debt Burden0
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency26
Revenue Diversity99
Trend Direction50
C
61/100
Budget Balance100
Debt Burden61
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency22
Revenue Diversity0
Trend Direction50
Key Metrics
Metric
Denver
Chicago
Total Spending
$23.9B
$94.0B
Spending / Capita
$33,582
$34,551
Total Revenue
$86.8B
$231.6B
Revenue / Capita
$122,063
$85,083
Total Debt
$3.6B
$2.7B
Debt / Capita
$5,126
$977
Population
710,800
2,721,914
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0
Per Capita Spending by Department
Police
Denver$2,455
Chicago$0
Fire Protection
Denver$1,668
Chicago$10,754
Highways & Roads
Denver$475
Chicago$930
Parks & Recreation
Denver$3,319
Chicago$122
Education
Denver$821
Chicago$0
Health
Denver$693
Chicago$426
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
DenverChicago
| Property Tax | $0 | $26 |
| Sales Tax | $2,070 | $74 |
| Income Tax | $236 | $229 |
| Intergovernmental | $44,661 | $85,083 |
| Charges & Fees | $5,207 | $2,847 |
| Other | $10,100 | $3,463 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
DenverChicago
| Police | $2,455 | $0 |
| Fire Protection | $1,668 | $10,754 |
| Highways & Roads | $475 | $930 |
| Education | $821 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $764 | $1,858 |
| Health | $693 | $426 |
| Hospitals | $2,855 | $1,444 |
| Parks & Recreation | $3,319 | $122 |
| Housing | $3,565 | $6,520 |
| Sewerage | $293 | $129 |
| Utilities | $4,292 | $2,983 |
| Interest on Debt | $7 | $0 |
| General Admin | $364 | $0 |
| Other | $12,011 | $9,385 |
C
Denver, CO
Fiscal Health Score: 51/100
Average fiscal health
C
Chicago, IL
Fiscal Health Score: 61/100
Average fiscal health