Tulsa, OK vs Denver, CO
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Denver, CO outspends Tulsa, OK by a wide margin per resident — $33,582 versus $5,250, a 540% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
Tulsa, OK edges Denver, CO on the Fiscal Health Score by 5 points — 56/100 (grade C) to 51/100 (grade C). At a margin this narrow the grade is close enough that the factor-level detail matters more than the composite.
Tulsa, OK reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Denver, CO carries $5,126 per resident. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Tulsa, OK leads with health at $762 per resident, while Denver, CO leads with parks and recreation at $3,319.
Summary
Denver spends 84.4% more per capita than Tulsa ($28,332/person difference). Tulsa, OK 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 | $97 | $2,070 |
| Income Tax | $0 | $236 |
| Intergovernmental | $0 | $44,661 |
| Charges & Fees | $0 | $5,207 |
| Other | $53 | $10,100 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $628 | $2,455 |
| Fire Protection | $196 | $1,668 |
| Highways & Roads | $257 | $475 |
| Education | $0 | $821 |
| Public Welfare | $86 | $764 |
| Health | $762 | $693 |
| Hospitals | $0 | $2,855 |
| Parks & Recreation | $154 | $3,319 |
| Housing | $350 | $3,565 |
| Sewerage | $27 | $293 |
| Utilities | $41 | $4,292 |
| Interest on Debt | $0 | $7 |
| General Admin | $0 | $364 |
| Other | $2,748 | $12,011 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.