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

Fort Collins, CO vs Thornton, CO

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

Summary

Fort Collins spends 80.9% more per capita than Thornton ($11,702/person difference). Thornton, CO has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 54/100).

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
Thornton, CO
Pop. 141,799
C
54/100
Budget Balance78
Debt Burden3
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency94
Revenue Diversity0
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Fort Collins
Thornton
Total Spending
$4.4B
$2.1B
Spending / Capita
$26,163
$14,462
Total Revenue
$2.2B
$2.5B
Revenue / Capita
$13,229
$17,658
Total Debt
$53.6M
$173.1M
Debt / Capita
$318
$1,221
Population
168,758
141,799
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Fort Collins$323
Thornton$427
Highways & Roads
Fort Collins$2,411
Thornton$411
Parks & Recreation
Fort Collins$2,355
Thornton$1,969
Education
Fort Collins$49
Thornton$0

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

Fort CollinsThornton
Property Tax
$620
$0
Sales Tax
$618
$530
Income Tax
$0
$420
Intergovernmental
$13,229
$17,658
Charges & Fees
$2,187
$4,216
Other
$3,358
$1,541

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

Fort CollinsThornton
Fire Protection
$323
$427
Highways & Roads
$2,411
$411
Education
$49
$0
Public Welfare
$2,292
$899
Hospitals
$1,022
$173
Parks & Recreation
$2,355
$1,969
Housing
$3,104
$3,363
Sewerage
$0
$159
Utilities
$5,637
$3,118
Interest on Debt
$3,129
$0
Other
$5,843
$3,943
D
Fort Collins, CO
Fiscal Health Score: 44/100
Below average fiscal health
C
Thornton, CO
Fiscal Health Score: 54/100
Average fiscal health

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