Schools, health, disaster risk, bridges and federal grants for Denver County, from national public records — each with its source. Denver sits in Denver County, so these figures are countywide. The same page for every U.S. county is at countycommons.us/us.
How Denver County compares — against the other counties in Colorado
729,019 — people: 2nd highest of 64 Colorado counties.
$17,214 — spending per student in its school districts: 22nd highest of 63 Colorado counties.
77.4 years — life expectancy: 32nd highest of 59 Colorado counties.
8.5% — share of adults under 65 without health insurance: 42nd highest of 64 Colorado counties.
14.1% — child poverty: 36th highest of 64 Colorado counties.
92.2% — households with broadband internet: 17th highest of 64 Colorado counties.
$93,572 — median household income: 18th highest of 64 Colorado counties.
2.0% — share of bridges rated poor: 49th highest of 64 Colorado counties.
$1,732 — federal grant dollars per resident: 14th highest of 64 Colorado counties.
$222.0 million — expected yearly losses from natural hazards: 2nd highest of 64 Colorado counties.
“Highest” and “lowest” are just order, not grades: a high rank for poverty or hazard losses means more of it. Each figure's source is in its section below.
Public schools — district budgets, fiscal 2023
1 school district has its office in Denver County. School taxes are usually the largest part of a property tax bill.
DENVER SCH DIST 187,883 students
Spent $2 billion — $1.5 billion to run schools, about $17,214 per student, plus $267.8 million on buildings and equipment. Money in: $1.4 billion local (mostly property tax), $395.1 million state, $218 million federal. Long-term debt: $3.1 billion.
Overall risk: Relatively High compared with other U.S. counties. FEMA estimates natural hazards cost Denver County about $222 million a year on average in buildings, crops and lives. Ability to bounce back (community resilience): Relatively High; social vulnerability: Very Low.
The costliest hazards here
River and inland flooding$93.6 million a year · Relatively High
Hail$72.4 million a year · Very High
Tornado$28 million a year · Relatively High
Cold wave$10.1 million a year · Relatively High
Earthquake$7.4 million a year · Relatively Moderate
Source: FEMA National Risk Index (December 2025), expected annual loss. Ratings compare counties nationwide; they're estimates, not predictions.
Bridges — condition of every public bridge, 2025
457 bridges in Denver County: 188 in good condition, 260 fair, and 9 poor (2.0%). “Poor” means a main part — the deck, the beams, or the supports — is rated 4 or lower on the federal 0–9 scale. It doesn't mean unsafe to drive; unsafe bridges are closed.
Federal grants — the money that came in, and what's open now
Federal grants paid for $1.2 billion of work in Denver County in fiscal 2025, about $1,732 per resident — to the county, cities, schools, hospitals, nonprofits and others.
Source: USAspending.gov, grants by place of performance, fiscal 2025 (Oct. 2024 to Sept. 2025). Search it by county to see each award.
Open now: federal grants county governments can apply for
From Grants.gov: posted grants listing county governments as eligible, soonest deadline first; research-only and overseas programs left out; list updated 2026-10-13, refreshed weekly. 62 are open in all. Cities, towns, school districts and nonprofits have their own lists there.