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

Denver, CO vs Portland, OR

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

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

City A
Denver, CO
Pop. 710,800
C
51/100
Budget Balance68
Debt Burden0
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency26
Revenue Diversity99
Trend Direction50
City B
Portland, OR
Pop. 646,101
C
63/100
Budget Balance83
Debt Burden7
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency72
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Denver
Portland
Total Spending
$23.9B
$15.3B
Spending / Capita
$33,582
$23,675
Total Revenue
$86.8B
$31.0B
Revenue / Capita
$122,063
$47,970
Total Debt
$3.6B
$1.0B
Debt / Capita
$5,126
$1,574
Population
710,800
646,101
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
Denver$2,455
Portland$0
Fire Protection
Denver$1,668
Portland$1,700
Highways & Roads
Denver$475
Portland$139
Parks & Recreation
Denver$3,319
Portland$2,477
Education
Denver$821
Portland$0
Health
Denver$693
Portland$0

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

DenverPortland
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)

DenverPortland
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
C
Denver, CO
Fiscal Health Score: 51/100
Average fiscal health
C
Portland, OR
Fiscal Health Score: 63/100
Average fiscal health

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