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

Denver, CO vs Lakewood, CO

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

Summary

Denver spends 226.2% more per capita than Lakewood ($23,287/person difference). Lakewood, CO has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 56/100).

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
Lakewood, CO
Pop. 156,149
C
56/100
Budget Balance5
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity0
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Denver
Lakewood
Total Spending
$23.9B
$1.6B
Spending / Capita
$33,582
$10,295
Total Revenue
$86.8B
$199.2M
Revenue / Capita
$122,063
$1,276
Total Debt
$3.6B
$182K
Debt / Capita
$5,126
$1
Population
710,800
156,149
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
Denver$2,455
Lakewood$0
Fire Protection
Denver$1,668
Lakewood$205
Highways & Roads
Denver$475
Lakewood$0
Parks & Recreation
Denver$3,319
Lakewood$2,250
Education
Denver$821
Lakewood$0
Health
Denver$693
Lakewood$0

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

DenverLakewood
Sales Tax
$2,070
$897
Income Tax
$236
$0
Intergovernmental
$44,661
$1,276
Charges & Fees
$5,207
$82
Other
$10,100
$2,128

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

DenverLakewood
Police
$2,455
$0
Fire Protection
$1,668
$205
Highways & Roads
$475
$0
Education
$821
$0
Public Welfare
$764
$1,061
Health
$693
$0
Hospitals
$2,855
$70
Parks & Recreation
$3,319
$2,250
Housing
$3,565
$3,750
Sewerage
$293
$176
Utilities
$4,292
$79
Interest on Debt
$7
$0
General Admin
$364
$0
Other
$12,011
$2,705
C
Denver, CO
Fiscal Health Score: 51/100
Average fiscal health
C
Lakewood, CO
Fiscal Health Score: 56/100
Average fiscal health

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