Thornton, CO vs Aurora, CO
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Aurora, CO spends 20% more per resident than Thornton, CO: $17,400 against $14,462. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Aurora, CO holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 66/100 (grade B) against 54/100 (grade C) for Thornton, CO — a 12-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
On debt, Thornton, CO carries the lighter load at $1,221 per resident versus $4,017 for Aurora, CO. Both cities pour the most per-resident dollars into the same function: parks and recreation leads in Thornton, CO at $1,969 per resident and in Aurora, CO at $1,299.
They also fund themselves differently: intergovernmental transfers is the largest single revenue source in Thornton, CO at 100% of total revenue, whereas Aurora, CO relies most on charges and fees at 17%.
Summary
Aurora spends 16.9% more per capita than Thornton ($2,938/person difference). Aurora, CO has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 66/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Sales Tax | $530 | $303 |
| Income Tax | $420 | $0 |
| Intergovernmental | $17,658 | $825 |
| Charges & Fees | $4,216 | $3,728 |
| Other | $1,541 | $2,042 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $427 | $785 |
| Highways & Roads | $411 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $899 | $1,001 |
| Health | $0 | $185 |
| Hospitals | $173 | $678 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,969 | $1,299 |
| Housing | $3,363 | $3,493 |
| Sewerage | $159 | $0 |
| Utilities | $3,118 | $1,978 |
| Other | $3,943 | $7,981 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.