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Boulder · FY2016 municipal finance benchmarks

Boulder County · Denver Metro · home rule municipality · Pop. 105,689 (2025 estimate); FY2016 per-resident figures use 108,158 · Census finance data FY2016–FY2023

You’re viewing FY2016. See the latest view (FY2023). Latest Census Bureau finance data for Boulder: FY2023. Retrieved Oct 2026. Newer years are added when the Census Bureau publishes them. Why the lag?

City website (opens in a new tab)

Compare

FY2016 in brief

Boulder collected $3,546 per resident (including city-run utilities), 2.0× the median of the 224 Colorado municipalities reporting that year, 58% above its peers. Tax revenue per resident sits 97% above its peers, and 2.7× the state median. Debt per resident runs 11% below peers.

Regional hub: sales tax per resident is 2.2× the Colorado median.

Generated from the figures below. Every number links to its Census source.

Compared with

Nearest on population, household income and region

FY2016 headline figures

Revenue per resident (definition)

$3,546
58% above peers
Includes city-owned utilities
Peer median
$2,244
CO median · 224 with a published figure
$1,746
Position
Higher than 85% of the 224 reporting
5-year changenominal dollars
Not enough history for a 5-year change
How Colorado compares on revenue per resident

Expenditures per resident (definition)

$3,351
51% above peers
Includes city-owned utilities
Peer median
$2,217
CO median · 196 with a published figure
$1,749
Position
Higher than 81% of the 196 reporting
5-year changenominal dollars
Not enough history for a 5-year change

Tax revenue per resident (definition)

$1,903
97% above peers
Peer median
$965
CO median · 193 with a published figure
$705
Position
Higher than 88% of the 193 reporting
5-year changenominal dollars
Not enough history for a 5-year change

Debt per resident (definition)

$1,161
11% below peers
Peer median
$1,304
CO median · 220 with a published figure
$1,072
Position
Higher than 53% of the 220 reporting
5-year changenominal dollars
Not enough history for a 5-year change
How Colorado compares on debt per resident

How this number was calculated

Revenue per resident · $3,546
Includes Census estimates for 100% of revenue

  1. 1Metric

    $3,546 Total revenue divided by population

    = Total revenue ÷ population

    Full definition: Revenue per resident

  2. 2Inputs

    Total revenue $383.6M ÷ population 108,158 (2016 estimate)

  3. 3Census line items

    • A01 Airport charges
    • A50 Housing & community development charges
    • A60 Parking charges
    • A61 Parks & recreation charges
    • A80 Sewer charges
    • A89 General government (other) charges
    • A91 Water utility charges
    • B50 Federal aid
    • C30 State aid
    • C46 State aid
    • C80 State aid
    • C89 State aid
    • C91 State aid
    • D30 Local government aid
    • D46 Local government aid
    • D89 Local government aid
    • T01 Property tax
    • T09 General sales tax
    • T11 Selective sales taxes (lodging, utilities, etc.)
    • T15 Selective sales taxes (lodging, utilities, etc.)
    • T19 Selective sales taxes (lodging, utilities, etc.)
    • T20 Licenses & permits
    • T29 Licenses & permits
    • T99 Other taxes
    • U11 Sale of property
    • U20 Interest earnings
    • U30 Fines & forfeits
    • U40 Rents
    • U99 Miscellaneous

  4. 4Source file

What the numbers mean

  • Boulder runs city-owned utilities, which add 6.2% of its revenue. Cities that don't run utilities will look lower on revenue and spending per resident for that reason alone. What counts as utility revenue
  • Part of Boulder's FY2016 revenue is a Census Bureau estimate, not a reported figure. How estimates are handled

Where the money comes from and where it goes

Per resident, FY2016. Bars show Boulder; the gold tick is the peer median. How categories work

Regional hub: sales tax per resident is 2.2× the Colorado median.

Sales tax per resident is high, which usually means many non-residents shop, stay or work here. Per-resident figures divide citywide totals by residents only, so they overstate what residents themselves pay and use.

The biggest difference from peers is Parks, libraries & community: $816 per resident, 2.4× the peer median. On the revenue side, other revenue is 3.8× peers.

Money in

Revenue

$3,546
per resident58% above peers
Money in: Boulder revenue per resident by category, FY2016, against the peer median. Open a category for its lines and Census item codes.
CategoryPer residentvs peers
$1,21176% abovepeers $687
$8033.8×peers $213
$3592.3×peers $155
$35117% abovepeers $300
$3333.2×peers $105
$26931% abovepeers $205
$22047% belowpeers $418
Peer median of 4 peers · Colorado median of 224 reporting

Money out

Spending

$3,351
per resident51% above peers
Money out: Boulder spending per resident by category, FY2016, against the peer median. Open a category for its lines and Census item codes.
CategoryPer residentvs peers
$8162.4×peers $339
$67357% abovepeers $429
$6682.6×peers $255
$61476% abovepeers $349
$5037% belowpeers $541
$7780% abovepeers $43
None reported · peers $2$0None reported
None reported · peers $0$0None reported
Peer median of 4 peers · Colorado median of 196 reporting

Boulder and its peers

The five Colorado municipalities nearest on population, median household income and region. Budget size isn’t a matching factor, so peers aren’t chosen on the figures being compared. Per resident, FY2016. How peers are chosen

Open in Compare
Boulder compared with its peer municipalities, FY2016, per resident
MunicipalityRevenueExpendituresTax revenueSales taxDebt
BoulderUtilities: City-owned utilities (water, electric, gas, transit) brought in 6.2% of total revenue in FY2016. Revenue and spending per resident include them, so cities that run their own utilities read higher than cities that don't.Regional hub: Sales tax per resident is 2.2× the Colorado median.$3,546$3,351$1,903$1,211$1,161
WestminsterUtilities: City-owned utilities (water, electric, gas, transit) brought in 13.1% of total revenue in FY2016. Revenue and spending per resident include them, so cities that run their own utilities read higher than cities that don't.Regional hub: Sales tax per resident is 1.6× the Colorado median.$2,451$2,457$1,154$888$2,610
LongmontUtilities: City-owned utilities (water, electric, gas, transit) brought in 31.8% of total revenue in FY2016. Revenue and spending per resident include them, so cities that run their own utilities read higher than cities that don't.$2,701$3,226$975$669$2,033
Centennial$816$680$578$353$26
GreeleyUtilities: City-owned utilities (water, electric, gas, transit) brought in 25.3% of total revenue in FY2016. Revenue and spending per resident include them, so cities that run their own utilities read higher than cities that don't.$2,037$1,978$955$706$1,304
Peer median$2,244$2,217$965$687$1,304

Utilities marks a municipality whose revenue and spending include city-owned utilities (water, electric, gas, transit), which raises its per-resident totals.

Regional hub marks a municipality whose sales tax per resident is at least 1.5× the Colorado median: a shopping or visitor hub where people who live elsewhere pay much of the sales tax.

Trends

Every available fiscal year. Lines break where a year is missing or withheld; nothing is interpolated.

  • This city
  • Peer median
  • Withheld (shown on the axis, no value)
  • Colorado median (Census of Governments years only)
Revenue per resident
FY2016 $3,546 to FY2023 $3,415.$0$2K$4K’16’17’18’19’20’21’22’23Peer median FY2016: $2,244Peer median FY2017: $2,169Peer median FY2018: $2,159Peer median FY2019: $2,273Peer median FY2020: $2,234Peer median FY2021: $2,570Peer median FY2022: $3,015Peer median FY2023: $1,624Colorado median FY2016: $1,746 (all 224 municipalities reporting)Colorado median FY2021: $2,476 (all 227 municipalities reporting)FY2016: $3,546FY2017: $3,568FY2018: $3,319FY2019: $3,575FY2020: $3,613FY2021: $3,039FY2022: $4,041FY2023: $3,415

Fiscal year · nominal dollars, not adjusted for inflation

Peer group changed in FY2017, FY2018, FY2021, FY2022, FY2023. Peers are matched each year, so the peer median can step when the group changes.

Show data table
Revenue per resident by fiscal year
YearThis cityPeer medianColorado median
FY2016$3,546$2,244$1,746 (224 reporting)
FY2017$3,568$2,169$2,694 (35 reporting, sample year)
FY2018$3,319$2,159$2,529 (75 reporting, sample year)
FY2019$3,575$2,273$2,694 (73 reporting, sample year)
FY2020$3,613$2,234$2,739 (76 reporting, sample year)
FY2021$3,039$2,570$2,476 (227 reporting)
FY2022$4,041$3,015$3,031 (72 reporting, sample year)
FY2023$3,415$1,624$3,580 (97 reporting, sample year)
Expenditures per resident
FY2016 $3,351 to FY2023 $3,906.$0$2K$4K’16’17’18’19’20’21’22’23Peer median FY2016: $2,217Peer median FY2017: $2,070Peer median FY2018: $2,055Peer median FY2019: $2,159Peer median FY2020: $2,138Peer median FY2021: $2,404Peer median FY2022: $2,497Peer median FY2023: $1,709Colorado median FY2016: $1,749 (all 224 municipalities reporting)Colorado median FY2021: $2,208 (all 227 municipalities reporting)FY2016: $3,351FY2017: $3,515FY2018: $3,979FY2019: $2,674FY2020: $2,747FY2021: $2,541FY2022: $2,769. Excludes equipment purchases and payments to other governments, which Census stopped reporting after FY2021.FY2023: $3,906. Excludes equipment purchases and payments to other governments, which Census stopped reporting after FY2021.

Fiscal year · nominal dollars, not adjusted for inflation

Census definition change: Excludes equipment purchases and payments to other governments, which Census stopped reporting after FY2021.

Peer group changed in FY2017, FY2018, FY2021, FY2022, FY2023, the same year as the census definition change. Peers are matched each year, so the peer median can step when the group changes.

Show data table
Expenditures per resident by fiscal year
YearThis cityPeer medianColorado median
FY2016$3,351$2,217$1,749 (196 reporting)
FY2017$3,515$2,070$2,663 (35 reporting, sample year)
FY2018$3,979$2,055$2,387 (74 reporting, sample year)
FY2019$2,674$2,159$2,759 (71 reporting, sample year)
FY2020$2,747$2,138$2,485 (74 reporting, sample year)
FY2021$2,541$2,404$2,208 (220 reporting)
FY2022$2,769$2,497$3,025 (71 reporting, sample year)
FY2023$3,906$1,709$3,680 (91 reporting, sample year)
Tax revenue per resident
FY2016 $1,903 to FY2023 $2,014.$0$1.3K$2.6K’16’17’18’19’20’21’22’23Peer median FY2016: $965Peer median FY2017: $1,058Peer median FY2018: $1,099Peer median FY2019: $1,167Peer median FY2020: $1,174Peer median FY2021: $1,311Peer median FY2022: $1,409Peer median FY2023: $1,031Colorado median FY2016: $705 (all 224 municipalities reporting)Colorado median FY2021: $1,072 (all 227 municipalities reporting)FY2016: $1,903FY2017: $1,972FY2018: $2,223FY2019: $2,242FY2020: $2,346FY2021: $1,782FY2022: $2,582FY2023: $2,014

Fiscal year · nominal dollars, not adjusted for inflation

Peer group changed in FY2017, FY2018, FY2021, FY2022, FY2023. Peers are matched each year, so the peer median can step when the group changes.

Show data table
Tax revenue per resident by fiscal year
YearThis cityPeer medianColorado median
FY2016$1,903$965$705 (193 reporting)
FY2017$1,972$1,058$1,098 (34 reporting, sample year)
FY2018$2,223$1,099$1,173 (70 reporting, sample year)
FY2019$2,242$1,167$1,187 (71 reporting, sample year)
FY2020$2,346$1,174$1,238 (72 reporting, sample year)
FY2021$1,782$1,311$1,072 (201 reporting)
FY2022$2,582$1,409$1,631 (71 reporting, sample year)
FY2023$2,014$1,031$1,726 (90 reporting, sample year)
Debt per resident
FY2016 $1,161 to FY2023 $2,182.$0$1.1K$2.3K’16’17’18’19’20’21’22’23Peer median FY2016: $1,304Peer median FY2017: $1,163Peer median FY2018: $1,540Peer median FY2019: $1,442Peer median FY2020: $1,314Peer median FY2021: $1,370Peer median FY2022: $2,138Peer median FY2023: $434Colorado median FY2016: $1,072 (all 224 municipalities reporting)Colorado median FY2021: $1,411 (all 227 municipalities reporting)FY2016: $1,161FY2017: $972FY2018: $2,120FY2019: $1,207FY2020: $1,097FY2021: $2,000FY2022: $2,274FY2023: $2,182

Fiscal year · nominal dollars, not adjusted for inflation

Peer group changed in FY2017, FY2018, FY2021, FY2022, FY2023. Peers are matched each year, so the peer median can step when the group changes.

Show data table
Debt per resident by fiscal year
YearThis cityPeer medianColorado median
FY2016$1,161$1,304$1,072 (220 reporting)
FY2017$972$1,163$1,482 (34 reporting, sample year)
FY2018$2,120$1,540$1,644 (70 reporting, sample year)
FY2019$1,207$1,442$1,627 (69 reporting, sample year)
FY2020$1,097$1,314$1,798 (71 reporting, sample year)
FY2021$2,000$1,370$1,411 (199 reporting)
FY2022$2,274$2,138$2,068 (73 reporting, sample year)
FY2023$2,182$434$2,130 (91 reporting, sample year)

Questions about Boulder’s finances

How much revenue does Boulder collect per resident?
Boulder collected $3,546 per resident in FY2016, 2.0× the median of the 224 Colorado municipalities reporting that year. See the figure
How does Boulder's spending per resident compare with similar cities?
Boulder spent $3,351 per resident in FY2016, 51% above the median of its peers: Westminster, Longmont, Centennial and Greeley. See the figure
How much debt does Boulder have per resident?
Boulder carried $1,161 of debt per resident in FY2016, 11% below its peers' median. See the figure
Which cities is Boulder compared with?
Boulder is compared with Westminster, Longmont, Centennial and Greeley: the Colorado municipalities nearest to it on population, median household income and region. Budget size isn't used, so peers aren't chosen on the figures being compared. See the peer table
Where do these numbers come from?
From the U.S. Census Bureau's Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, as each government reported its own fiscal year, divided by Census population estimates. Figures that fail quality checks are withheld rather than shown. Sources and methodology

Community context

American Community Survey 5-year estimates and Census population estimates. Where the selected year isn’t available, the nearest earlier year is shown and labeled.

Population growth (5-yr)
+1.7%/yr
2016 estimate
Median household income
Not reported for this year
Poverty rate
Not reported for this year
Median home value
Not reported for this year
Housing vacancy rate
Not reported for this year

Explore further

Also in Denver Metro

Revenue per resident, latest published year.

Sources

Dataset: Boulder, CO municipal finance benchmarks

Free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (opens in a new tab). Please credit “Source: Orivian Municipal Index, orivian.ai/benchmarks”. See the data use terms.

Notes: dollars are nominal (not inflation-adjusted). Colorado medians cover the municipalities reporting that year. Peers: nearest on population, income and region. Definitions: orivian.ai/benchmarks/methodology.Retrieved October 12, 2026 from orivian.ai/benchmarks.

Every figure on this page is read from the published index; nothing is recalculated for display. Read the methodology

Parks, libraries & community is Boulder’s largest difference from its peers (2.4× the peer median in FY2016). See how that line moves month to month in your own budget-vs-actual.

Orivian applies the same sourced, governed approach to your city's own budget-vs-actual data.

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