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

Denver, CO vs Fort Collins, CO

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

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

City A
Denver, CO
Pop. 710,800
C
51/100
Budget Balance68
Debt Burden0
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency26
Revenue Diversity99
Trend Direction50
City B
Fort Collins, CO
Pop. 168,758
D
44/100
Budget Balance0
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency25
Revenue Diversity0
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Denver
Fort Collins
Total Spending
$23.9B
$4.4B
Spending / Capita
$33,582
$26,163
Total Revenue
$86.8B
$2.2B
Revenue / Capita
$122,063
$13,229
Total Debt
$3.6B
$53.6M
Debt / Capita
$5,126
$318
Population
710,800
168,758
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
Denver$2,455
Fort Collins$0
Fire Protection
Denver$1,668
Fort Collins$323
Highways & Roads
Denver$475
Fort Collins$2,411
Parks & Recreation
Denver$3,319
Fort Collins$2,355
Education
Denver$821
Fort Collins$49
Health
Denver$693
Fort Collins$0

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

DenverFort Collins
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)

DenverFort Collins
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
C
Denver, CO
Fiscal Health Score: 51/100
Average fiscal health
D
Fort Collins, CO
Fiscal Health Score: 44/100
Below average fiscal health

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