Denver, CO vs Washington, DC
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Summary
Washington spends 86.2% more per capita than Denver ($209,759/person difference). Denver, CO has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 51/100).
Fiscal Health Score
C
51/100
Budget Balance68
Debt Burden0
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency26
Revenue Diversity99
Trend Direction50
D
41/100
Budget Balance45
Debt Burden0
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
Key Metrics
Metric
Denver
Washington
Total Spending
$23.9B
$163.2B
Spending / Capita
$33,582
$243,341
Total Revenue
$86.8B
$186.2B
Revenue / Capita
$122,063
$277,701
Total Debt
$3.6B
$1.7B
Debt / Capita
$5,126
$2,516
Population
710,800
670,587
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0
Per Capita Spending by Department
Police
Denver$2,455
Washington$4,183
Fire Protection
Denver$1,668
Washington$4,262
Highways & Roads
Denver$475
Washington$1,435
Parks & Recreation
Denver$3,319
Washington$5,459
Education
Denver$821
Washington$53,224
Health
Denver$693
Washington$1,009
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
DenverWashington
| Property Tax | $0 | $25 |
| Sales Tax | $2,070 | $991 |
| Income Tax | $236 | $141 |
| Intergovernmental | $44,661 | $18,754 |
| Charges & Fees | $5,207 | $4,070 |
| Other | $10,100 | $11,518 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
DenverWashington
| Police | $2,455 | $4,183 |
| Fire Protection | $1,668 | $4,262 |
| Highways & Roads | $475 | $1,435 |
| Education | $821 | $53,224 |
| Public Welfare | $764 | $2,498 |
| Health | $693 | $1,009 |
| Hospitals | $2,855 | $17,668 |
| Parks & Recreation | $3,319 | $5,459 |
| Housing | $3,565 | $10,296 |
| Sewerage | $293 | $2,881 |
| Utilities | $4,292 | $88,990 |
| Interest on Debt | $7 | $58 |
| General Admin | $364 | $3,225 |
| Other | $12,011 | $48,155 |
C
Denver, CO
Fiscal Health Score: 51/100
Average fiscal health
D
Washington, DC
Fiscal Health Score: 41/100
Below average fiscal health