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

Denver, CO vs Wichita, KS

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

Summary

Denver spends 320.5% more per capita than Wichita ($25,596/person difference). Wichita, KS 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
Wichita, KS
Pop. 395,951
A
90/100
Budget Balance100
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Denver
Wichita
Total Spending
$23.9B
$3.2B
Spending / Capita
$33,582
$7,986
Total Revenue
$86.8B
$10.7B
Revenue / Capita
$122,063
$27,057
Total Debt
$3.6B
$52.2M
Debt / Capita
$5,126
$132
Population
710,800
395,951
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
Denver$2,455
Wichita$0
Fire Protection
Denver$1,668
Wichita$152
Highways & Roads
Denver$475
Wichita$126
Parks & Recreation
Denver$3,319
Wichita$874
Education
Denver$821
Wichita$2
Health
Denver$693
Wichita$254

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

DenverWichita
Sales Tax
$2,070
$246
Income Tax
$236
$57
Intergovernmental
$44,661
$3,895
Charges & Fees
$5,207
$3,193
Other
$10,100
$2,783

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

DenverWichita
Police
$2,455
$0
Fire Protection
$1,668
$152
Highways & Roads
$475
$126
Education
$821
$2
Public Welfare
$764
$441
Health
$693
$254
Hospitals
$2,855
$113
Parks & Recreation
$3,319
$874
Housing
$3,565
$2,618
Sewerage
$293
$0
Utilities
$4,292
$1,225
Interest on Debt
$7
$70
General Admin
$364
$0
Other
$12,011
$2,111
C
Denver, CO
Fiscal Health Score: 51/100
Average fiscal health
A
Wichita, KS
Fiscal Health Score: 90/100
Excellent fiscal health

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