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

Lakewood, CO vs Aurora, CO

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

Summary

Aurora spends 40.8% more per capita than Lakewood ($7,104/person difference). Aurora, CO has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 66/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
Lakewood, CO
Pop. 156,149
C
56/100
Budget Balance5
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity0
Trend Direction50
City B
Aurora, CO
Pop. 387,349
B
66/100
Budget Balance84
Debt Burden0
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Lakewood
Aurora
Total Spending
$1.6B
$6.7B
Spending / Capita
$10,295
$17,400
Total Revenue
$199.2M
$8.4B
Revenue / Capita
$1,276
$21,624
Total Debt
$182K
$1.6B
Debt / Capita
$1
$4,017
Population
156,149
387,349
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Lakewood$205
Aurora$785
Parks & Recreation
Lakewood$2,250
Aurora$1,299
Health
Lakewood$0
Aurora$185

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

LakewoodAurora
Sales Tax
$897
$303
Intergovernmental
$1,276
$825
Charges & Fees
$82
$3,728
Other
$2,128
$2,042

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

LakewoodAurora
Fire Protection
$205
$785
Public Welfare
$1,061
$1,001
Health
$0
$185
Hospitals
$70
$678
Parks & Recreation
$2,250
$1,299
Housing
$3,750
$3,493
Sewerage
$176
$0
Utilities
$79
$1,978
Other
$2,705
$7,981
C
Lakewood, CO
Fiscal Health Score: 56/100
Average fiscal health
B
Aurora, CO
Fiscal Health Score: 66/100
Good fiscal health

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