Skip to main content
Data from U.S. Census Bureau · 2026 · Methodology
CitySpend

Tucson, AZ vs Denver, CO

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

Summary

Denver spends 53.1% more per capita than Tucson ($17,823/person difference). Tucson, AZ has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 55/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
Tucson, AZ
Pop. 541,033
C
55/100
Budget Balance71
Debt Burden10
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity0
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
Tucson
Denver
Total Spending
$8.5B
$23.9B
Spending / Capita
$15,759
$33,582
Total Revenue
$12.6B
$86.8B
Revenue / Capita
$23,276
$122,063
Total Debt
$833.1M
$3.6B
Debt / Capita
$1,540
$5,126
Population
541,033
710,800
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
Tucson$0
Denver$2,455
Fire Protection
Tucson$330
Denver$1,668
Highways & Roads
Tucson$0
Denver$475
Parks & Recreation
Tucson$1,229
Denver$3,319
Education
Tucson$0
Denver$821
Health
Tucson$0
Denver$693

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

TucsonDenver
Property Tax
$5
$0
Sales Tax
$309
$2,070
Income Tax
$1,107
$236
Intergovernmental
$23,276
$44,661
Charges & Fees
$4,534
$5,207
Other
$952
$10,100

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

TucsonDenver
Police
$0
$2,455
Fire Protection
$330
$1,668
Highways & Roads
$0
$475
Education
$0
$821
Public Welfare
$1,181
$764
Health
$0
$693
Hospitals
$1,314
$2,855
Parks & Recreation
$1,229
$3,319
Housing
$3,091
$3,565
Sewerage
$0
$293
Utilities
$3,555
$4,292
Interest on Debt
$1,735
$7
General Admin
$0
$364
Other
$3,322
$12,011
C
Tucson, AZ
Fiscal Health Score: 55/100
Average fiscal health
C
Denver, CO
Fiscal Health Score: 51/100
Average fiscal health

Compare More Cities