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

Denver, CO vs Sacramento, CA

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

Summary

Sacramento spends 52.7% more per capita than Denver ($37,438/person difference). Sacramento, CA has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 57/100).

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
Sacramento, CA
Pop. 523,600
C
57/100
Budget Balance29
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Denver
Sacramento
Total Spending
$23.9B
$37.2B
Spending / Capita
$33,582
$71,020
Total Revenue
$86.8B
$33.3B
Revenue / Capita
$122,063
$63,682
Total Debt
$3.6B
$0
Debt / Capita
$5,126
$0
Population
710,800
523,600
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
Denver$2,455
Sacramento$5,402
Fire Protection
Denver$1,668
Sacramento$2,466
Highways & Roads
Denver$475
Sacramento$0
Parks & Recreation
Denver$3,319
Sacramento$1,437
Education
Denver$821
Sacramento$2,684
Health
Denver$693
Sacramento$18

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

DenverSacramento
Property Tax
$0
$1,465
Sales Tax
$2,070
$378
Income Tax
$236
$3,104
Intergovernmental
$44,661
$3,400
Charges & Fees
$5,207
$3,239
Other
$10,100
$5,072

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

DenverSacramento
Police
$2,455
$5,402
Fire Protection
$1,668
$2,466
Highways & Roads
$475
$0
Education
$821
$2,684
Public Welfare
$764
$3,470
Health
$693
$18
Hospitals
$2,855
$0
Parks & Recreation
$3,319
$1,437
Housing
$3,565
$8,577
Sewerage
$293
$103
Utilities
$4,292
$19,920
Interest on Debt
$7
$162
General Admin
$364
$0
Other
$12,011
$26,782
C
Denver, CO
Fiscal Health Score: 51/100
Average fiscal health
C
Sacramento, CA
Fiscal Health Score: 57/100
Average fiscal health

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