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

Denver, CO vs San Francisco, CA

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

Summary

San Francisco spends 81.8% more per capita than Denver ($150,549/person difference). Denver, CO has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 51/100).

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
San Francisco, CA
Pop. 851,036
D
48/100
Budget Balance70
Debt Burden0
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Denver
San Francisco
Total Spending
$23.9B
$156.7B
Spending / Capita
$33,582
$184,131
Total Revenue
$86.8B
$232.3B
Revenue / Capita
$122,063
$272,907
Total Debt
$3.6B
$1.7B
Debt / Capita
$5,126
$2,031
Population
710,800
851,036
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
Denver$2,455
San Francisco$3,351
Fire Protection
Denver$1,668
San Francisco$2,281
Highways & Roads
Denver$475
San Francisco$0
Parks & Recreation
Denver$3,319
San Francisco$4,119
Education
Denver$821
San Francisco$0
Health
Denver$693
San Francisco$1,911

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

DenverSan Francisco
Property Tax
$0
$148
Sales Tax
$2,070
$3,028
Income Tax
$236
$269
Intergovernmental
$44,661
$19,762
Charges & Fees
$5,207
$7,961
Other
$10,100
$18,918

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

DenverSan Francisco
Police
$2,455
$3,351
Fire Protection
$1,668
$2,281
Highways & Roads
$475
$0
Education
$821
$0
Public Welfare
$764
$2,203
Health
$693
$1,911
Hospitals
$2,855
$6,939
Parks & Recreation
$3,319
$4,119
Housing
$3,565
$9,315
Sewerage
$293
$1,423
Utilities
$4,292
$21,190
Interest on Debt
$7
$22,798
General Admin
$364
$14,899
Other
$12,011
$93,702
C
Denver, CO
Fiscal Health Score: 51/100
Average fiscal health
D
San Francisco, CA
Fiscal Health Score: 48/100
Below average fiscal health

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