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

Denver, CO vs San Jose, CA

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

Summary

Denver spends 87.2% more per capita than San Jose ($15,648/person difference). San Jose, CA has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 90/100).

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 Jose, CA
Pop. 1,001,176
A
90/100
Budget Balance100
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency98
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Denver
San Jose
Total Spending
$23.9B
$18.0B
Spending / Capita
$33,582
$17,934
Total Revenue
$86.8B
$38.1B
Revenue / Capita
$122,063
$38,091
Total Debt
$3.6B
$0
Debt / Capita
$5,126
$0
Population
710,800
1,001,176
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
Denver$2,455
San Jose$0
Fire Protection
Denver$1,668
San Jose$0
Highways & Roads
Denver$475
San Jose$0
Parks & Recreation
Denver$3,319
San Jose$1,424
Education
Denver$821
San Jose$0
Health
Denver$693
San Jose$609

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

DenverSan Jose
Property Tax
$0
$40
Sales Tax
$2,070
$315
Income Tax
$236
$1,935
Intergovernmental
$44,661
$2,680
Charges & Fees
$5,207
$608
Other
$10,100
$3,519

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

DenverSan Jose
Police
$2,455
$0
Fire Protection
$1,668
$0
Highways & Roads
$475
$0
Education
$821
$0
Public Welfare
$764
$810
Health
$693
$609
Hospitals
$2,855
$1,254
Parks & Recreation
$3,319
$1,424
Housing
$3,565
$4,897
Sewerage
$293
$161
Utilities
$4,292
$2,533
Interest on Debt
$7
$0
General Admin
$364
$0
Other
$12,011
$6,247
C
Denver, CO
Fiscal Health Score: 51/100
Average fiscal health
A
San Jose, CA
Fiscal Health Score: 90/100
Excellent fiscal health

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