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

Thornton, CO vs Centennial, CO

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

Summary

Thornton spends 26744.9% more per capita than Centennial ($14,408/person difference). Centennial, CO has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 80/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
Thornton, CO
Pop. 141,799
C
54/100
Budget Balance78
Debt Burden3
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency94
Revenue Diversity0
Trend Direction50
City B
Centennial, CO
Pop. 107,702
A
80/100
Budget Balance100
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity0
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Thornton
Centennial
Total Spending
$2.1B
$5.8M
Spending / Capita
$14,462
$54
Total Revenue
$2.5B
$26.2M
Revenue / Capita
$17,658
$243
Total Debt
$173.1M
$0
Debt / Capita
$1,221
$0
Population
141,799
107,702
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Thornton$427
Centennial$0
Highways & Roads
Thornton$411
Centennial$0
Parks & Recreation
Thornton$1,969
Centennial$54

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

ThorntonCentennial
Sales Tax
$530
$0
Income Tax
$420
$0
Intergovernmental
$17,658
$243
Charges & Fees
$4,216
$0
Other
$1,541
$0

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

ThorntonCentennial
Fire Protection
$427
$0
Highways & Roads
$411
$0
Public Welfare
$899
$0
Hospitals
$173
$0
Parks & Recreation
$1,969
$54
Housing
$3,363
$0
Sewerage
$159
$0
Utilities
$3,118
$0
Other
$3,943
$0
C
Thornton, CO
Fiscal Health Score: 54/100
Average fiscal health
A
Centennial, CO
Fiscal Health Score: 80/100
Excellent fiscal health

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