Portland, OR vs Denver, CO
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Denver, CO spends 42% more per resident than Portland, OR: $33,582 against $23,675. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Portland, OR holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 63/100 (grade C) against 51/100 (grade C) for Denver, CO — a 12-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
On debt, Portland, OR carries the lighter load at $1,574 per resident versus $5,126 for Denver, CO. Both cities pour the most per-resident dollars into the same function: parks and recreation leads in Portland, OR at $2,477 per resident and in Denver, CO at $3,319.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 19% of total revenue in Portland, OR and 37% in Denver, CO.
Summary
Denver spends 29.5% more per capita than Portland ($9,908/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 | $2,070 |
| Income Tax | $130 | $236 |
| Intergovernmental | $8,979 | $44,661 |
| Charges & Fees | $3,883 | $5,207 |
| Other | $7,916 | $10,100 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $0 | $2,455 |
| Fire Protection | $1,700 | $1,668 |
| Highways & Roads | $139 | $475 |
| Education | $0 | $821 |
| Public Welfare | $3,607 | $764 |
| Health | $0 | $693 |
| Hospitals | $2,893 | $2,855 |
| Parks & Recreation | $2,477 | $3,319 |
| Housing | $3,694 | $3,565 |
| Sewerage | $630 | $293 |
| Utilities | $1,845 | $4,292 |
| Interest on Debt | $0 | $7 |
| General Admin | $0 | $364 |
| Other | $6,689 | $12,011 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.