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

Portland, OR vs Denver, CO

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

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

City A
Portland, OR
Pop. 646,101
C
63/100
Budget Balance83
Debt Burden7
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency72
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
City B
Denver, CO
Pop. 710,800
C
51/100
Budget Balance68
Debt Burden0
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency26
Revenue Diversity99
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Portland
Denver
Total Spending
$15.3B
$23.9B
Spending / Capita
$23,675
$33,582
Total Revenue
$31.0B
$86.8B
Revenue / Capita
$47,970
$122,063
Total Debt
$1.0B
$3.6B
Debt / Capita
$1,574
$5,126
Population
646,101
710,800
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
Portland$0
Denver$2,455
Fire Protection
Portland$1,700
Denver$1,668
Highways & Roads
Portland$139
Denver$475
Parks & Recreation
Portland$2,477
Denver$3,319
Education
Portland$0
Denver$821
Health
Portland$0
Denver$693

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

PortlandDenver
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)

PortlandDenver
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
C
Portland, OR
Fiscal Health Score: 63/100
Average fiscal health
C
Denver, CO
Fiscal Health Score: 51/100
Average fiscal health

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