Denver, CO vs Miami, FL
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Denver, CO spends 19% more per resident than Miami, FL: $33,582 against $28,195. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Miami, FL edges Denver, CO on the Fiscal Health Score by 2 points — 53/100 (grade C) to 51/100 (grade C). At a margin this narrow the grade is close enough that the factor-level detail matters more than the composite.
Miami, FL reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Denver, CO carries $5,126 per resident. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Denver, CO leads with parks and recreation at $3,319 per resident, while Miami, FL leads with fire protection at $7,399.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 37% of total revenue in Denver, CO and 100% in Miami, FL.
Summary
Denver spends 19.1% more per capita than Miami ($5,387/person difference). Miami, FL has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 53/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $0 | $0 |
| Sales Tax | $2,070 | $1,647 |
| Income Tax | $236 | $0 |
| Intergovernmental | $44,661 | $15,037 |
| Charges & Fees | $5,207 | $0 |
| Other | $10,100 | $1,399 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $2,455 | $0 |
| Fire Protection | $1,668 | $7,399 |
| Highways & Roads | $475 | $0 |
| Education | $821 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $764 | $109 |
| Health | $693 | $0 |
| Hospitals | $2,855 | $1,499 |
| Parks & Recreation | $3,319 | $1,783 |
| Housing | $3,565 | $6,840 |
| Sewerage | $293 | $699 |
| Utilities | $4,292 | $1,295 |
| Interest on Debt | $7 | $0 |
| General Admin | $364 | $0 |
| Other | $12,011 | $8,572 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.