Denver, CO vs Fort Collins, CO
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Denver, CO spends 28% more per resident than Fort Collins, CO: $33,582 against $26,163. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Denver, CO edges Fort Collins, CO on the Fiscal Health Score by 7 points — 51/100 (grade C) to 44/100 (grade D). At a margin this narrow the grade is close enough that the factor-level detail matters more than the composite.
On debt, Fort Collins, CO carries the lighter load at $318 per resident versus $5,126 for Denver, CO. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Denver, CO leads with parks and recreation at $3,319 per resident, while Fort Collins, CO leads with highways and roads at $2,411.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 37% of total revenue in Denver, CO and 100% in Fort Collins, CO.
Summary
Denver spends 28.4% more per capita than Fort Collins ($7,419/person difference). Denver, CO has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 51/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $0 | $620 |
| Sales Tax | $2,070 | $618 |
| Income Tax | $236 | $0 |
| Intergovernmental | $44,661 | $13,229 |
| Charges & Fees | $5,207 | $2,187 |
| Other | $10,100 | $3,358 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $2,455 | $0 |
| Fire Protection | $1,668 | $323 |
| Highways & Roads | $475 | $2,411 |
| Education | $821 | $49 |
| Public Welfare | $764 | $2,292 |
| Health | $693 | $0 |
| Hospitals | $2,855 | $1,022 |
| Parks & Recreation | $3,319 | $2,355 |
| Housing | $3,565 | $3,104 |
| Sewerage | $293 | $0 |
| Utilities | $4,292 | $5,637 |
| Interest on Debt | $7 | $3,129 |
| General Admin | $364 | $0 |
| Other | $12,011 | $5,843 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.