Los Angeles, CA vs Denver, CO

Los Angeles, CA outspends Denver, CO by a wide margin per resident — $85,432 versus $33,582, a 154% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.

Denver, CO edges Los Angeles, CA on the Fiscal Health Score by 4 points — 51/100 (grade C) to 47/100 (grade D). At a margin this narrow the grade is close enough that the factor-level detail matters more than the composite.

Los Angeles, CA reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Denver, CO carries $5,126 per resident. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Los Angeles, CA leads with police at $4,111 per resident, while Denver, CO leads with parks and recreation at $3,319.

They also fund themselves differently: other revenue is the largest single revenue source in Los Angeles, CA at 51% of total revenue, whereas Denver, CO relies most on intergovernmental transfers at 37%.