Denver, CO vs Nashville-Davidson metropolitan government (balance), TN
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Nashville-Davidson metropolitan government (balance), TN spends 46% more per resident than Denver, CO: $48,948 against $33,582. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Denver, CO edges Nashville-Davidson metropolitan government (balance), TN on the Fiscal Health Score by 4 points — 51/100 (grade C) to 47/100 (grade D). At a margin this narrow the grade is close enough that the factor-level detail matters more than the composite.
On debt, Nashville-Davidson metropolitan government (balance), TN carries the lighter load at $2,292 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 Nashville-Davidson metropolitan government (balance), TN leads with education at $21,061.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 37% of total revenue in Denver, CO and 10% in Nashville-Davidson metropolitan government (balance), TN.
Summary
Nashville-Davidson metropolitan government (balance) spends 31.4% more per capita than Denver ($15,366/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)
| Sales Tax | $2,070 | $373 |
| Income Tax | $236 | $135 |
| Intergovernmental | $44,661 | $13,787 |
| Charges & Fees | $5,207 | $2,444 |
| Other | $10,100 | $4,617 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $2,455 | $1,519 |
| Fire Protection | $1,668 | $468 |
| Highways & Roads | $475 | $11 |
| Education | $821 | $21,061 |
| Public Welfare | $764 | $738 |
| Health | $693 | $672 |
| Hospitals | $2,855 | $2,100 |
| Parks & Recreation | $3,319 | $1,015 |
| Housing | $3,565 | $4,231 |
| Sewerage | $293 | $217 |
| Utilities | $4,292 | $3,140 |
| Interest on Debt | $7 | $1,667 |
| General Admin | $364 | $2,081 |
| Other | $12,011 | $10,028 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.