Thornton, CO vs Lakewood, CO
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Thornton, CO spends 40% more per resident than Lakewood, CO: $14,462 against $10,295. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Lakewood, CO edges Thornton, CO on the Fiscal Health Score by 2 points — 56/100 (grade C) to 54/100 (grade C). At a margin this narrow the grade is close enough that the factor-level detail matters more than the composite.
On debt, Lakewood, CO carries the lighter load at $1 per resident versus $1,221 for Thornton, 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 Lakewood, CO at $2,250.
They also fund themselves differently: intergovernmental transfers is the largest single revenue source in Thornton, CO at 100% of total revenue, whereas Lakewood, CO relies most on other revenue at 167%.
Summary
Thornton spends 40.5% more per capita than Lakewood ($4,166/person difference). Lakewood, CO has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 56/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Sales Tax | $530 | $897 |
| Income Tax | $420 | $0 |
| Intergovernmental | $17,658 | $1,276 |
| Charges & Fees | $4,216 | $82 |
| Other | $1,541 | $2,128 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $427 | $205 |
| Highways & Roads | $411 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $899 | $1,061 |
| Hospitals | $173 | $70 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,969 | $2,250 |
| Housing | $3,363 | $3,750 |
| Sewerage | $159 | $176 |
| Utilities | $3,118 | $79 |
| Other | $3,943 | $2,705 |
Compare More Cities
Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.