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

San Jose, CA vs Denver, CO

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

Summary

Denver spends 46.6% more per capita than San Jose ($15,648/person difference). San Jose, CA has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 90/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
San Jose, CA
Pop. 1,001,176
A
90/100
Budget Balance100
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency98
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
San Jose
Denver
Total Spending
$18.0B
$23.9B
Spending / Capita
$17,934
$33,582
Total Revenue
$38.1B
$86.8B
Revenue / Capita
$38,091
$122,063
Total Debt
$0
$3.6B
Debt / Capita
$0
$5,126
Population
1,001,176
710,800
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
San Jose$0
Denver$2,455
Fire Protection
San Jose$0
Denver$1,668
Highways & Roads
San Jose$0
Denver$475
Parks & Recreation
San Jose$1,424
Denver$3,319
Education
San Jose$0
Denver$821
Health
San Jose$609
Denver$693

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

San JoseDenver
Property Tax
$40
$0
Sales Tax
$315
$2,070
Income Tax
$1,935
$236
Intergovernmental
$2,680
$44,661
Charges & Fees
$608
$5,207
Other
$3,519
$10,100

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

San JoseDenver
Police
$0
$2,455
Fire Protection
$0
$1,668
Highways & Roads
$0
$475
Education
$0
$821
Public Welfare
$810
$764
Health
$609
$693
Hospitals
$1,254
$2,855
Parks & Recreation
$1,424
$3,319
Housing
$4,897
$3,565
Sewerage
$161
$293
Utilities
$2,533
$4,292
Interest on Debt
$0
$7
General Admin
$0
$364
Other
$6,247
$12,011
A
San Jose, CA
Fiscal Health Score: 90/100
Excellent fiscal health
C
Denver, CO
Fiscal Health Score: 51/100
Average fiscal health

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