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

Denver, CO vs Thornton, CO

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

Summary

Denver spends 132.2% more per capita than Thornton ($19,121/person difference). Thornton, CO has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 54/100).

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
Thornton, CO
Pop. 141,799
C
54/100
Budget Balance78
Debt Burden3
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency94
Revenue Diversity0
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Denver
Thornton
Total Spending
$23.9B
$2.1B
Spending / Capita
$33,582
$14,462
Total Revenue
$86.8B
$2.5B
Revenue / Capita
$122,063
$17,658
Total Debt
$3.6B
$173.1M
Debt / Capita
$5,126
$1,221
Population
710,800
141,799
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
Denver$2,455
Thornton$0
Fire Protection
Denver$1,668
Thornton$427
Highways & Roads
Denver$475
Thornton$411
Parks & Recreation
Denver$3,319
Thornton$1,969
Education
Denver$821
Thornton$0
Health
Denver$693
Thornton$0

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

DenverThornton
Sales Tax
$2,070
$530
Income Tax
$236
$420
Intergovernmental
$44,661
$17,658
Charges & Fees
$5,207
$4,216
Other
$10,100
$1,541

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

DenverThornton
Police
$2,455
$0
Fire Protection
$1,668
$427
Highways & Roads
$475
$411
Education
$821
$0
Public Welfare
$764
$899
Health
$693
$0
Hospitals
$2,855
$173
Parks & Recreation
$3,319
$1,969
Housing
$3,565
$3,363
Sewerage
$293
$159
Utilities
$4,292
$3,118
Interest on Debt
$7
$0
General Admin
$364
$0
Other
$12,011
$3,943
C
Denver, CO
Fiscal Health Score: 51/100
Average fiscal health
C
Thornton, CO
Fiscal Health Score: 54/100
Average fiscal health

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