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

Denver, CO vs Colorado Springs, CO

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

Summary

Denver spends 154.0% more per capita than Colorado Springs ($20,360/person difference). Colorado Springs, CO has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 59/100).

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
Colorado Springs, CO
Pop. 479,612
C
59/100
Budget Balance54
Debt Burden0
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Denver
Colorado Springs
Total Spending
$23.9B
$6.3B
Spending / Capita
$33,582
$13,222
Total Revenue
$86.8B
$25.3B
Revenue / Capita
$122,063
$52,777
Total Debt
$3.6B
$1.5B
Debt / Capita
$5,126
$3,063
Population
710,800
479,612
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
Denver$2,455
Colorado Springs$0
Fire Protection
Denver$1,668
Colorado Springs$1,266
Highways & Roads
Denver$475
Colorado Springs$0
Parks & Recreation
Denver$3,319
Colorado Springs$376
Education
Denver$821
Colorado Springs$0
Health
Denver$693
Colorado Springs$0

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

DenverColorado Springs
Sales Tax
$2,070
$257
Income Tax
$236
$0
Intergovernmental
$44,661
$6,902
Charges & Fees
$5,207
$5,676
Other
$10,100
$2,678

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

DenverColorado Springs
Police
$2,455
$0
Fire Protection
$1,668
$1,266
Highways & Roads
$475
$0
Education
$821
$0
Public Welfare
$764
$575
Health
$693
$0
Hospitals
$2,855
$416
Parks & Recreation
$3,319
$376
Housing
$3,565
$2,713
Sewerage
$293
$0
Utilities
$4,292
$2,566
Interest on Debt
$7
$190
General Admin
$364
$0
Other
$12,011
$5,120
C
Denver, CO
Fiscal Health Score: 51/100
Average fiscal health
C
Colorado Springs, CO
Fiscal Health Score: 59/100
Average fiscal health

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