Skip to main content
Data from U.S. Census Bureau · 2026 · Methodology
CitySpend

Fort Collins, CO vs Denver, CO

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

Summary

Denver spends 22.1% more per capita than Fort Collins ($7,419/person difference). Denver, CO has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 51/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
Fort Collins, CO
Pop. 168,758
D
44/100
Budget Balance0
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency25
Revenue Diversity0
Trend Direction50
City B
Denver, CO
Pop. 710,800
C
51/100
Budget Balance68
Debt Burden0
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency26
Revenue Diversity99
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Fort Collins
Denver
Total Spending
$4.4B
$23.9B
Spending / Capita
$26,163
$33,582
Total Revenue
$2.2B
$86.8B
Revenue / Capita
$13,229
$122,063
Total Debt
$53.6M
$3.6B
Debt / Capita
$318
$5,126
Population
168,758
710,800
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
Fort Collins$0
Denver$2,455
Fire Protection
Fort Collins$323
Denver$1,668
Highways & Roads
Fort Collins$2,411
Denver$475
Parks & Recreation
Fort Collins$2,355
Denver$3,319
Education
Fort Collins$49
Denver$821
Health
Fort Collins$0
Denver$693

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

Fort CollinsDenver
Property Tax
$620
$0
Sales Tax
$618
$2,070
Income Tax
$0
$236
Intergovernmental
$13,229
$44,661
Charges & Fees
$2,187
$5,207
Other
$3,358
$10,100

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

Fort CollinsDenver
Police
$0
$2,455
Fire Protection
$323
$1,668
Highways & Roads
$2,411
$475
Education
$49
$821
Public Welfare
$2,292
$764
Health
$0
$693
Hospitals
$1,022
$2,855
Parks & Recreation
$2,355
$3,319
Housing
$3,104
$3,565
Sewerage
$0
$293
Utilities
$5,637
$4,292
Interest on Debt
$3,129
$7
General Admin
$0
$364
Other
$5,843
$12,011
D
Fort Collins, CO
Fiscal Health Score: 44/100
Below average fiscal health
C
Denver, CO
Fiscal Health Score: 51/100
Average fiscal health

Compare More Cities