Lakewood, CO vs Colorado Springs, CO

Colorado Springs, CO spends 28% more per resident than Lakewood, CO: $13,222 against $10,295. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.

Colorado Springs, CO edges Lakewood, CO on the Fiscal Health Score by 3 points — 59/100 (grade C) to 56/100 (grade C). At a margin this narrow the grade is close enough that the factor-level detail matters more than the composite.

On debt, Lakewood, CO carries the lighter load at $1 per resident versus $3,063 for Colorado Springs, CO. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Lakewood, CO leads with parks and recreation at $2,250 per resident, while Colorado Springs, CO leads with fire protection at $1,266.

They also fund themselves differently: other revenue is the largest single revenue source in Lakewood, CO at 167% of total revenue, whereas Colorado Springs, CO relies most on intergovernmental transfers at 13%.