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Buena Vista · FY2016 municipal finance benchmarks

Chaffee County · Central Mountains & Resort · statutory town · Pop. 3,248 (2025 estimate); FY2016 per-resident figures use 2,764 · Census finance data FY2016, FY2021

You’re viewing FY2016. See the latest view (FY2021). Latest Census Bureau finance data for Buena Vista: FY2021. 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

Buena Vista collected $2,170 per resident (including city-run utilities), 24% above the median of the 224 Colorado municipalities reporting that year, 74% below its peers. Tax revenue per resident sits 52% below its peers, but 68% above the state median. Debt per resident runs 85% below peers.

Regional hub: sales tax per resident is 1.7× 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)

$2,170
74% below peers
Includes city-owned utilities
Peer median
$8,276
CO median · 224 with a published figure
$1,746
Position
Higher than 61% 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)

$1,828
76% below peers
Includes city-owned utilities
Peer median
$7,552
CO median · 196 with a published figure
$1,749
Position
Higher than 51% of the 196 reporting
5-year changenominal dollars
Not enough history for a 5-year change

Tax revenue per resident (definition)

$1,182
52% below peers
Peer median
$2,451
CO median · 193 with a published figure
$705
Position
Higher than 77% of the 193 reporting
5-year changenominal dollars
Not enough history for a 5-year change

Debt per resident (definition)

$172
85% below peers
Peer median
$1,139
CO median · 220 with a published figure
$1,072
Position
Higher than 9% 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 · $2,170
Includes Census estimates for 100% of revenue

  1. 1Metric

    $2,170 Total revenue divided by population

    = Total revenue ÷ population

    Full definition: Revenue per resident

  2. 2Inputs

    Total revenue $6M ÷ population 2,764 (2016 estimate)

  3. 3Census line items

    • A01 Airport charges
    • A03 Commercial activities (other) charges
    • A61 Parks & recreation charges
    • A89 General government (other) charges
    • A91 Water utility charges
    • B01 Federal aid
    • C46 State aid
    • C89 State aid
    • D46 Local government aid
    • T01 Property tax
    • T09 General sales tax
    • T15 Selective sales taxes (lodging, utilities, etc.)
    • T16 Selective sales taxes (lodging, utilities, etc.)
    • T24 Licenses & permits
    • T28 Licenses & permits
    • T29 Licenses & permits
    • U01 Special assessments
    • U20 Interest earnings
    • U30 Fines & forfeits
    • U40 Rents
    • U50 Private donations
    • U99 Miscellaneous

  4. 4Source file

What the numbers mean

  • Buena Vista runs city-owned utilities, which add 16.3% 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
  • With about 2,764 residents, small changes in Buena Vista's budget move per-resident figures a lot. Compare several years, not one.
  • Buena Vista relies on sales tax more than most Colorado municipalities. Tourism and regional retail can raise sales tax per resident because non-residents pay it.
  • Part of Buena Vista'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 Buena Vista; the gold tick is the peer median. How categories work

Regional hub: sales tax per resident is 1.7× 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 General government: $438 per resident, 83% below the peer median. On the revenue side, fees & charges is 90% below peers.

Money in

Revenue

$2,170
per resident74% below peers
Money in: Buena Vista revenue per resident by category, FY2016, against the peer median. Open a category for its lines and Census item codes.
CategoryPer residentvs peers
$96132% belowpeers $1,422
$35317% belowpeers $424
$26543% belowpeers $466
$20339% belowpeers $333
$16790% belowpeers $1,705
$15770% belowpeers $523
$6487% belowpeers $506
Peer median of 4 peers · Colorado median of 224 reporting

Money out

Spending

$1,828
per resident76% below peers
Money out: Buena Vista spending per resident by category, FY2016, against the peer median. Open a category for its lines and Census item codes.
CategoryPer residentvs peers
$57757% belowpeers $1,358
$43883% belowpeers $2,572
$35437% belowpeers $558
$23150% belowpeers $459
$15089% belowpeers $1,375
$46No peer comparisonpeers $0
$21No peer comparisonpeers $0
$1090% belowpeers $102
Peer median of 4 peers · Colorado median of 196 reporting

Buena Vista 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
Buena Vista compared with its peer municipalities, FY2016, per resident
MunicipalityRevenueExpendituresTax revenueSales taxDebt
Buena VistaUtilities: City-owned utilities (water, electric, gas, transit) brought in 16.3% 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.Regional hub: Sales tax per resident is 1.7× the Colorado median.$2,170$1,828$1,182$961$172
Snowmass VillageRegional hub: Sales tax per resident is 7.5× the Colorado median.$11,120$9,763$4,175$3,312
FriscoUtilities: City-owned utilities (water, electric, gas, transit) brought in 5.7% 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 2.6× the Colorado median.$6,224$5,341$2,451$1,422$1,139
PalisadeUtilities: City-owned utilities (water, electric, gas, transit) brought in 42.5% 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.$1,156$874$492$348$171
TellurideUtilities: City-owned utilities (water, electric, gas, transit) brought in 5.4% 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 3.7× the Colorado median.$10,329$10,695$6,523$2,074$16,610
Peer median$8,276$7,552$2,451$1,748$1,139

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 $2,170 to FY2021 $2,987.$0$4.1K$8.3K’16’21Peer median FY2016: $8,276Peer median FY2021: $1,734Colorado median FY2016: $1,746 (all 224 municipalities reporting)Colorado median FY2021: $2,476 (all 227 municipalities reporting)FY2016: $2,170FY2021: $2,987

Fiscal year · nominal dollars, not adjusted for inflation

Peer group changed in FY2021. 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$2,170$8,276$1,746 (224 reporting)
FY2021$2,987$1,734$2,476 (227 reporting)
Expenditures per resident
FY2016 $1,828 to FY2021 $2,058.$0$3.8K$7.6K’16’21Peer median FY2016: $7,552Peer median FY2021: $1,959Colorado median FY2016: $1,749 (all 224 municipalities reporting)Colorado median FY2021: $2,208 (all 227 municipalities reporting)FY2016: $1,828FY2021: $2,058

Fiscal year · nominal dollars, not adjusted for inflation

Peer group changed in FY2021. 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$1,828$7,552$1,749 (196 reporting)
FY2021$2,058$1,959$2,208 (220 reporting)
Tax revenue per resident
FY2016 $1,182 to FY2021 $1,528.$0$1.2K$2.5K’16’21Peer median FY2016: $2,451Colorado median FY2016: $705 (all 224 municipalities reporting)Colorado median FY2021: $1,072 (all 227 municipalities reporting)FY2016: $1,182FY2021: $1,528

Fiscal year · nominal dollars, not adjusted for inflation

Show data table
Tax revenue per resident by fiscal year
YearThis cityPeer medianColorado median
FY2016$1,182$2,451$705 (193 reporting)
FY2021$1,528Benchmark unavailable$1,072 (201 reporting)
Debt per resident
FY2016 $172 to FY2021 $1,231.$0$705.6$1.4K’16’21Peer median FY2016: $1,139Peer median FY2021: $929Colorado median FY2016: $1,072 (all 224 municipalities reporting)Colorado median FY2021: $1,411 (all 227 municipalities reporting)FY2016: $172FY2021: $1,231

Fiscal year · nominal dollars, not adjusted for inflation

Peer group changed in FY2021. 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$172$1,139$1,072 (220 reporting)
FY2021$1,231$929$1,411 (199 reporting)

Questions about Buena Vista’s finances

How much revenue does Buena Vista collect per resident?
Buena Vista collected $2,170 per resident in FY2016, 24% above the median of the 224 Colorado municipalities reporting that year. See the figure
How does Buena Vista's spending per resident compare with similar cities?
Buena Vista spent $1,828 per resident in FY2016, 76% below the median of its peers: Snowmass Village, Frisco, Palisade and Telluride. See the figure
How much debt does Buena Vista have per resident?
Buena Vista carried $172 of debt per resident in FY2016, 85% below its peers' median. See the figure
Which cities is Buena Vista compared with?
Buena Vista is compared with Snowmass Village, Frisco, Palisade and Telluride: 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)
+1.2%/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 Central Mountains & Resort

Revenue per resident, latest published year.

Sources

Dataset: Buena Vista, 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

General government is Buena Vista’s largest difference from its peers (83% below the peer median in FY2016). See how that line moves month to month in your own budget-vs-actual.

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