Denver, CO vs Detroit, MI
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Summary
Denver spends 8.0% more per capita than Detroit ($2,495/person difference). Detroit, MI has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 69/100).
Fiscal Health Score
C
51/100
Budget Balance68
Debt Burden0
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency26
Revenue Diversity99
Trend Direction50
B
69/100
Budget Balance70
Debt Burden79
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency38
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
Key Metrics
Metric
Denver
Detroit
Total Spending
$23.9B
$19.8B
Spending / Capita
$33,582
$31,087
Total Revenue
$86.8B
$28.4B
Revenue / Capita
$122,063
$44,533
Total Debt
$3.6B
$493.9M
Debt / Capita
$5,126
$776
Population
710,800
636,787
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0
Per Capita Spending by Department
Police
Denver$2,455
Detroit$0
Fire Protection
Denver$1,668
Detroit$2,429
Highways & Roads
Denver$475
Detroit$0
Parks & Recreation
Denver$3,319
Detroit$950
Education
Denver$821
Detroit$0
Health
Denver$693
Detroit$396
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
DenverDetroit
| Property Tax | $0 | $44 |
| Sales Tax | $2,070 | $200 |
| Income Tax | $236 | $1,045 |
| Intergovernmental | $44,661 | $291 |
| Charges & Fees | $5,207 | $2,228 |
| Other | $10,100 | $6,892 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
DenverDetroit
| Police | $2,455 | $0 |
| Fire Protection | $1,668 | $2,429 |
| Highways & Roads | $475 | $0 |
| Education | $821 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $764 | $833 |
| Health | $693 | $396 |
| Hospitals | $2,855 | $2,217 |
| Parks & Recreation | $3,319 | $950 |
| Housing | $3,565 | $5,791 |
| Sewerage | $293 | $451 |
| Utilities | $4,292 | $2,737 |
| Interest on Debt | $7 | $2,068 |
| General Admin | $364 | $0 |
| Other | $12,011 | $13,216 |
C
Denver, CO
Fiscal Health Score: 51/100
Average fiscal health
B
Detroit, MI
Fiscal Health Score: 69/100
Good fiscal health