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

Fort Collins, CO vs Lakewood, CO

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

Summary

Fort Collins spends 154.1% more per capita than Lakewood ($15,868/person difference). Lakewood, CO has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 56/100).

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
Lakewood, CO
Pop. 156,149
C
56/100
Budget Balance5
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity0
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Fort Collins
Lakewood
Total Spending
$4.4B
$1.6B
Spending / Capita
$26,163
$10,295
Total Revenue
$2.2B
$199.2M
Revenue / Capita
$13,229
$1,276
Total Debt
$53.6M
$182K
Debt / Capita
$318
$1
Population
168,758
156,149
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Fort Collins$323
Lakewood$205
Highways & Roads
Fort Collins$2,411
Lakewood$0
Parks & Recreation
Fort Collins$2,355
Lakewood$2,250
Education
Fort Collins$49
Lakewood$0

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

Fort CollinsLakewood
Property Tax
$620
$0
Sales Tax
$618
$897
Intergovernmental
$13,229
$1,276
Charges & Fees
$2,187
$82
Other
$3,358
$2,128

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

Fort CollinsLakewood
Fire Protection
$323
$205
Highways & Roads
$2,411
$0
Education
$49
$0
Public Welfare
$2,292
$1,061
Hospitals
$1,022
$70
Parks & Recreation
$2,355
$2,250
Housing
$3,104
$3,750
Sewerage
$0
$176
Utilities
$5,637
$79
Interest on Debt
$3,129
$0
Other
$5,843
$2,705
D
Fort Collins, CO
Fiscal Health Score: 44/100
Below average fiscal health
C
Lakewood, CO
Fiscal Health Score: 56/100
Average fiscal health

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