Denver, CO vs Tulsa, OK
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Denver, CO outspends Tulsa, OK by a wide margin per resident — $33,582 versus $5,250, a 540% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
Tulsa, OK edges Denver, CO on the Fiscal Health Score by 5 points — 56/100 (grade C) to 51/100 (grade C). At a margin this narrow the grade is close enough that the factor-level detail matters more than the composite.
Tulsa, OK reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Denver, CO carries $5,126 per resident. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Denver, CO leads with parks and recreation at $3,319 per resident, while Tulsa, OK leads with health at $762.
Summary
Denver spends 539.6% more per capita than Tulsa ($28,332/person difference). Tulsa, OK has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 56/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Sales Tax | $2,070 | $97 |
| Income Tax | $236 | $0 |
| Intergovernmental | $44,661 | $0 |
| Charges & Fees | $5,207 | $0 |
| Other | $10,100 | $53 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $2,455 | $628 |
| Fire Protection | $1,668 | $196 |
| Highways & Roads | $475 | $257 |
| Education | $821 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $764 | $86 |
| Health | $693 | $762 |
| Hospitals | $2,855 | $0 |
| Parks & Recreation | $3,319 | $154 |
| Housing | $3,565 | $350 |
| Sewerage | $293 | $27 |
| Utilities | $4,292 | $41 |
| Interest on Debt | $7 | $0 |
| General Admin | $364 | $0 |
| Other | $12,011 | $2,748 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.