Denver, CO vs Portland, OR
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Denver, CO spends 42% more per resident than Portland, OR: $33,582 against $23,675. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Portland, OR holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 63/100 (grade C) against 51/100 (grade C) for Denver, CO — a 12-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
On debt, Portland, OR carries the lighter load at $1,574 per resident versus $5,126 for Denver, CO. Both cities pour the most per-resident dollars into the same function: parks and recreation leads in Denver, CO at $3,319 per resident and in Portland, OR at $2,477.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 37% of total revenue in Denver, CO and 19% in Portland, OR.
Summary
Denver spends 41.8% more per capita than Portland ($9,908/person difference). Portland, OR has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 63/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Sales Tax | $2,070 | $1,695 |
| Income Tax | $236 | $130 |
| Intergovernmental | $44,661 | $8,979 |
| Charges & Fees | $5,207 | $3,883 |
| Other | $10,100 | $7,916 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $2,455 | $0 |
| Fire Protection | $1,668 | $1,700 |
| Highways & Roads | $475 | $139 |
| Education | $821 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $764 | $3,607 |
| Health | $693 | $0 |
| Hospitals | $2,855 | $2,893 |
| Parks & Recreation | $3,319 | $2,477 |
| Housing | $3,565 | $3,694 |
| Sewerage | $293 | $630 |
| Utilities | $4,292 | $1,845 |
| Interest on Debt | $7 | $0 |
| General Admin | $364 | $0 |
| Other | $12,011 | $6,689 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.