Portland, OR vs Colorado Springs, CO
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Portland, OR outspends Colorado Springs, CO by a wide margin per resident — $23,675 versus $13,222, a 79% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
Portland, OR edges Colorado Springs, CO on the Fiscal Health Score by 4 points — 63/100 (grade C) to 59/100 (grade C). At a margin this narrow the grade is close enough that the factor-level detail matters more than the composite.
On debt, Portland, OR carries the lighter load at $1,574 per resident versus $3,063 for Colorado Springs, CO. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Portland, OR leads with parks and recreation at $2,477 per resident, while Colorado Springs, CO leads with fire protection at $1,266.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 19% of total revenue in Portland, OR and 13% in Colorado Springs, CO.
Summary
Portland spends 79.0% more per capita than Colorado Springs ($10,452/person difference). Portland, OR has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 63/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Sales Tax | $1,695 | $257 |
| Income Tax | $130 | $0 |
| Intergovernmental | $8,979 | $6,902 |
| Charges & Fees | $3,883 | $5,676 |
| Other | $7,916 | $2,678 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $1,700 | $1,266 |
| Highways & Roads | $139 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $3,607 | $575 |
| Hospitals | $2,893 | $416 |
| Parks & Recreation | $2,477 | $376 |
| Housing | $3,694 | $2,713 |
| Sewerage | $630 | $0 |
| Utilities | $1,845 | $2,566 |
| Interest on Debt | $0 | $190 |
| Other | $6,689 | $5,120 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.