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

Lakewood, CO vs Fort Collins, CO

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

Summary

Fort Collins spends 60.6% 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
Lakewood, CO
Pop. 156,149
C
56/100
Budget Balance5
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity0
Trend Direction50
City B
Fort Collins, CO
Pop. 168,758
D
44/100
Budget Balance0
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency25
Revenue Diversity0
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

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

Per Capita Spending by Department

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

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

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

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

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

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