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

Denver, CO vs Columbus, OH

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

Summary

Denver spends 78.1% more per capita than Columbus ($14,724/person difference). Columbus, OH has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 52/100).

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
Columbus, OH
Pop. 902,449
C
52/100
Budget Balance32
Debt Burden46
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency94
Revenue Diversity0
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Denver
Columbus
Total Spending
$23.9B
$17.0B
Spending / Capita
$33,582
$18,858
Total Revenue
$86.8B
$0
Revenue / Capita
$122,063
$0
Total Debt
$3.6B
$1.0B
Debt / Capita
$5,126
$1,145
Population
710,800
902,449
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
Denver$2,455
Columbus$0
Fire Protection
Denver$1,668
Columbus$1,016
Highways & Roads
Denver$475
Columbus$224
Parks & Recreation
Denver$3,319
Columbus$2,168
Education
Denver$821
Columbus$0
Health
Denver$693
Columbus$0

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

DenverColumbus
Property Tax
$0
$10
Sales Tax
$2,070
$234
Income Tax
$236
$1
Intergovernmental
$44,661
$0
Charges & Fees
$5,207
$2,389
Other
$10,100
$5,248

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

DenverColumbus
Police
$2,455
$0
Fire Protection
$1,668
$1,016
Highways & Roads
$475
$224
Education
$821
$0
Public Welfare
$764
$878
Health
$693
$0
Hospitals
$2,855
$953
Parks & Recreation
$3,319
$2,168
Housing
$3,565
$4,303
Sewerage
$293
$1
Utilities
$4,292
$1,719
Interest on Debt
$7
$0
General Admin
$364
$0
Other
$12,011
$7,595
C
Denver, CO
Fiscal Health Score: 51/100
Average fiscal health
C
Columbus, OH
Fiscal Health Score: 52/100
Average fiscal health

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