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

Denver, CO vs Tucson, AZ

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

Summary

Denver spends 113.1% more per capita than Tucson ($17,823/person difference). Tucson, AZ has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 55/100).

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
Tucson, AZ
Pop. 541,033
C
55/100
Budget Balance71
Debt Burden10
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity0
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Denver
Tucson
Total Spending
$23.9B
$8.5B
Spending / Capita
$33,582
$15,759
Total Revenue
$86.8B
$12.6B
Revenue / Capita
$122,063
$23,276
Total Debt
$3.6B
$833.1M
Debt / Capita
$5,126
$1,540
Population
710,800
541,033
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
Denver$2,455
Tucson$0
Fire Protection
Denver$1,668
Tucson$330
Highways & Roads
Denver$475
Tucson$0
Parks & Recreation
Denver$3,319
Tucson$1,229
Education
Denver$821
Tucson$0
Health
Denver$693
Tucson$0

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

DenverTucson
Property Tax
$0
$5
Sales Tax
$2,070
$309
Income Tax
$236
$1,107
Intergovernmental
$44,661
$23,276
Charges & Fees
$5,207
$4,534
Other
$10,100
$952

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

DenverTucson
Police
$2,455
$0
Fire Protection
$1,668
$330
Highways & Roads
$475
$0
Education
$821
$0
Public Welfare
$764
$1,181
Health
$693
$0
Hospitals
$2,855
$1,314
Parks & Recreation
$3,319
$1,229
Housing
$3,565
$3,091
Sewerage
$293
$0
Utilities
$4,292
$3,555
Interest on Debt
$7
$1,735
General Admin
$364
$0
Other
$12,011
$3,322
C
Denver, CO
Fiscal Health Score: 51/100
Average fiscal health
C
Tucson, AZ
Fiscal Health Score: 55/100
Average fiscal health

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