Lakewood, CO vs Thornton, CO
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Thornton, CO spends 40% more per resident than Lakewood, CO: $14,462 against $10,295. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Lakewood, CO edges Thornton, CO on the Fiscal Health Score by 2 points — 56/100 (grade C) to 54/100 (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 $1,221 for Thornton, CO. Both cities pour the most per-resident dollars into the same function: parks and recreation leads in Lakewood, CO at $2,250 per resident and in Thornton, CO at $1,969.
They also fund themselves differently: other revenue is the largest single revenue source in Lakewood, CO at 167% of total revenue, whereas Thornton, CO relies most on intergovernmental transfers at 100%.
Summary
Thornton spends 28.8% more per capita than Lakewood ($4,166/person difference). Lakewood, CO has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 56/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Sales Tax | $897 | $530 |
| Income Tax | $0 | $420 |
| Intergovernmental | $1,276 | $17,658 |
| Charges & Fees | $82 | $4,216 |
| Other | $2,128 | $1,541 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $205 | $427 |
| Highways & Roads | $0 | $411 |
| Public Welfare | $1,061 | $899 |
| Hospitals | $70 | $173 |
| Parks & Recreation | $2,250 | $1,969 |
| Housing | $3,750 | $3,363 |
| Sewerage | $176 | $159 |
| Utilities | $79 | $3,118 |
| Other | $2,705 | $3,943 |
Compare More Cities
Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.