Center · FY2021 municipal finance benchmarks

Name: Center, CO municipal finance benchmarks
Creator: Orivian
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Saguache, Rio Grande counties · San Luis Valley · statutory town · Pop. 1,890 (2025 estimate); FY2021 per-resident figures use 1,970 · Census finance data FY2016, FY2021

Latest Census Bureau finance data for Center: FY2021. Retrieved Oct 2026. Newer years are added when the Census Bureau publishes them. Why the lag?

City website (opens in a new tab)

Fiscal yearCompare

FY2021 in brief

Center collected $3,283 per resident (including city-run utilities), 33% above the median of the 227 Colorado municipalities reporting that year, 99% above its peers. Tax revenue per resident sits 16% below its peers, and 50% below the state median. Debt per resident runs 54% below peers.

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

Compared with

Nearest on population, household income and region

Revenue per resident (definition)

$3,283

99% above peers

Includes city-owned utilities

Peer median: $1,646
CO median · 227 with a published figure Median of the 227 Colorado municipalities with FY2021 Census finance data. In FY2016 and FY2021 the Census covers every municipality; in other years it surveys a sample, mostly larger cities.: $2,476
Position: Higher than 70% of the 227 reporting
5-year changenominal dollars: +10.8%/yr

How Colorado compares on revenue per resident

Expenditures per resident (definition)

$2,787

80% above peers

Includes city-owned utilities

Peer median: $1,547
CO median · 220 with a published figure Median of the 220 Colorado municipalities with FY2021 Census finance data. In FY2016 and FY2021 the Census covers every municipality; in other years it surveys a sample, mostly larger cities.: $2,208
Position: Higher than 67% of the 220 reporting
5-year changenominal dollars: +12.1%/yr

Tax revenue per resident (definition)

$536

16% below peers

Peer median: $636
CO median · 201 with a published figure Median of the 201 Colorado municipalities with FY2021 Census finance data. In FY2016 and FY2021 the Census covers every municipality; in other years it surveys a sample, mostly larger cities.: $1,072
Position: Higher than 20% of the 201 reporting
5-year changenominal dollars: +14.7%/yr

Debt per resident (definition)

$989

54% below peers

Peer median: $2,155
CO median · 199 with a published figure Median of the 199 Colorado municipalities with FY2021 Census finance data. In FY2016 and FY2021 the Census covers every municipality; in other years it surveys a sample, mostly larger cities.: $1,411
Position: Higher than 39% of the 199 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 · $3,283

Reported by the city to the Census Bureau

1Metric
$3,283 Total revenue divided by population
= Total revenue ÷ population
Full definition: Revenue per resident
2Inputs
Total revenue $6.5M ÷ population 1,970 (2021 estimate)
3Census line items
- A89 General government (other) charges
- A91 Water utility charges
- A92 Electric utility charges
- A93 Gas utility charges
- C89 State aid
- T01 Property tax
- T09 General sales tax
- T29 Licenses & permits
- T99 Other taxes
- U11 Sale of property
- U20 Interest earnings
- U99 Miscellaneous
4Source file
- Annual Survey of State & Local Government Finances 2022 - Individual Unit File
  Value for
  FY2021
  Survey file
  2022
  The 2022 Census survey covers fiscal years ending July 1, 2021 through June 30, 2022, so a fiscal year ending December 31, 2021 is FY2021.
  Retrieved October 12, 2026 · View source: Annual Survey of State & Local Government Finances 2022 - Individual Unit File (opens in a new tab)
- Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2025 - incorporated places
  Value for
  FY2021
  Source year
  2025
  Retrieved October 7, 2026 · View source: Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2025 - incorporated places (opens in a new tab)

What the numbers mean

Center runs city-owned utilities, which add 70.3% 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 1,970 residents, small changes in Center's budget move per-resident figures a lot. Compare several years, not one.

Where the money comes from and where it goes

Per resident, FY2021. Bars show Center; the gold tick is the peer median. How categories work

The biggest difference from peers is Utilities & environment: $1,822 per resident, 3.1× the peer median. On the revenue side, utility & transit charges is 5.4× peers.

Money in

Revenue

$3,283

per resident99% above peers

Money in: Center revenue per resident by category, FY2021, against the peer median. Open a category for its lines and Census item codes.
Category	Per resident	Peer median	vs peers	Share of revenue
	$2,310	$430	5.4× peerspeers $430	70%

Electric utility charges $1,269 · peers $0 Gas utility charges $760 · peers $0 Water utility charges $281 · peers $430 Revenue of city-owned water, electric, gas and transit systems. Census line items A91 Water utility charges A92 Electric utility charges A93 Gas utility charges
	$381	$431	12% below peerspeers $431	12%

General sales tax $381 · peers $431 General sales and use tax. Census line items T09 General sales tax
	$348	$244	43% above peerspeers $244	11%

State aid $348 · peers $180 Grants and shared revenue from federal, state and local governments. Census line items C89 State aid
	$126	$82	53% above peerspeers $82	4%

Property tax $126 · peers $82 Property tax levied by the municipality. Census line items T01 Property tax
	$48	$141	66% below peerspeers $141	1%

General government (other) charges $48 · peers $0 Charges for services such as sewer, trash, recreation, parking and airports. Census line items A89 General government (other) charges
	$42	$60	31% below peerspeers $60	1%

Sale of property $20 · peers $0 Miscellaneous $16 · peers $25 Interest earnings $6 · peers $2 Interest earnings, fines, rents, special assessments, donations and sales of property. Census line items U11 Sale of property U20 Interest earnings U99 Miscellaneous
	$28	$129	78% below peerspeers $129	1%

Other taxes $24 · peers $2 Licenses & permits $4 · peers $50 Lodging, utility, tobacco and other selective sales taxes, licenses and permits, and other taxes. Census line items T29 Licenses & permits T99 Other taxes

Peer median of 4 peers · Colorado median of 227 reporting

Money out

Spending

$2,787

per resident80% above peers

Money out: Center spending per resident by category, FY2021, against the peer median. Open a category for its lines and Census item codes.
Category	Per resident	Peer median	vs peers	Share of spending
	$1,822	$584	3.1× peerspeers $584	65%

Gas utility $787 · peers $0 Electric utility $785 · peers $0 Water utility $247 · peers $424 Natural resources $2 · peers $0 incl. $2 construction incl. $2 construction Water, sewer, solid waste, electric and gas utilities, and natural resources. Census line items E91 Water utility E92 Electric utility E93 Gas utility F59 Natural resources
	$463	$231	2.0× peerspeers $231	17%

General government (other) $444 · peers $27 incl. $92 construction Judicial & legal $13 · peers $13 General public buildings $6 · peers $17 incl. $92 construction Administration, finance, legal and courts, public buildings and other general government. Census line items E25 Judicial & legal E31 General public buildings E89 General government (other) F89 General government (other)
	$347	$389	11% below peerspeers $389	12%

Police $347 · peers $386 Police, fire protection, inspection and corrections. Census line items E62 Police
	$114	$152	25% below peerspeers $152	4%

Streets & highways $114 · peers $152 incl. $13 construction incl. $13 construction Streets and highways, transit, parking and airports. Census line items E44 Streets & highways F44 Streets & highways
	$42	$34	22% above peerspeers $34	1%

Interest on debt $42 · peers $34 Interest paid on the municipality's debt. Includes Census Bureau estimates for this year. Census line items I91 Interest on debt
None reported · peers $287	$0	$287	None reported	0%

Center reported nothing in this category for FY2021. Parks and recreation, libraries, housing and community development.

Peer median of 4 peers · Colorado median of 220 reporting

Center 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, FY2021. How peers are chosen

Open in Compare

Center compared with its peer municipalities, FY2021, per resident
Municipality	Revenue	Expenditures	Tax revenue	Sales tax	Debt
CenterUtilities: City-owned utilities (water, electric, gas, transit) brought in 70.3% of total revenue in FY2021. Revenue and spending per resident include them, so cities that run their own utilities read higher than cities that don't.	$3,283	$2,787	$536	$381	$989
OlatheUtilities: City-owned utilities (water, electric, gas, transit) brought in 12.7% of total revenue in FY2021. Revenue and spending per resident include them, so cities that run their own utilities read higher than cities that don't.	$1,276	$1,123	$464	$363	$601
MeekerUtilities: City-owned utilities (water, electric, gas, transit) brought in 24.4% of total revenue in FY2021. Revenue and spending per resident include them, so cities that run their own utilities read higher than cities that don't.	$1,182	$1,136	$739	$500	Not reported for this year
CedaredgeUtilities: City-owned utilities (water, electric, gas, transit) brought in 28.3% of total revenue in FY2021. Revenue and spending per resident include them, so cities that run their own utilities read higher than cities that don't.	$2,015	$1,959	$534	$351	$1,341
GranbyUtilities: City-owned utilities (water, electric, gas, transit) brought in 23.9% of total revenue in FY2021. 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 3.8× the Colorado median.	$6,088	$5,449	$3,967	$3,247	$2,969
Peer median	$1,646	$1,547	$636	$431	$2,155

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

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
Year	This city	Peer median	Colorado median
FY2016	$1,965	$2,050	$1,746 (224 reporting)
FY2021	$3,283	$1,646	$2,476 (227 reporting)

Expenditures per resident

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
Year	This city	Peer median	Colorado median
FY2016	$1,572	$1,585	$1,749 (196 reporting)
FY2021	$2,787	$1,547	$2,208 (220 reporting)

Tax revenue per resident

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

Tax revenue per resident by fiscal year
Year	This city	Peer median	Colorado median
FY2016	$269	$327	$705 (193 reporting)
FY2021	$536	$636	$1,072 (201 reporting)

Debt per resident

Fiscal year · nominal dollars, not adjusted for inflation

Show data table

Debt per resident by fiscal year
Year	This city	Peer median	Colorado median
FY2016	—	—	—
FY2021	$989	$2,155	$1,411 (199 reporting)

Questions about Center’s finances

How much revenue does Center collect per resident?: Center collected $3,283 per resident in FY2021, 33% above the median of the 227 Colorado municipalities reporting that year. See the figure
How does Center's spending per resident compare with similar cities?: Center spent $2,787 per resident in FY2021, 80% above the median of its peers: Olathe, Meeker, Cedaredge and Granby. See the figure
How much debt does Center have per resident?: Center carried $989 of debt per resident in FY2021, 54% below its peers' median. See the figure
Which cities is Center compared with?: Center is compared with Olathe, Meeker, Cedaredge and Granby: 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): −3.4%/yr; 2021 estimate
Median household income: $45.5K; 2021 estimate
Poverty rate: 23.1%; 2021 estimate
Median home value: $89.4K; 2021 estimate
Housing vacancy rate: 6.5%; 2021 estimate

Explore further

Also in San Luis Valley

Del Norte$14,811 · FY2020
Manassa$704 · FY2021
Sanford
La Jara$1,548 · FY2021
Antonito$2,932 · FY2021
San Luis$1,744 · FY2021
Saguache$2,200 · FY2021
South Fork$2,963 · FY2021

Revenue per resident, latest published year.

Sources

American Community Survey 5-year estimates 2017-2021 · 2021
U.S. Census Bureau
Retrieved October 7, 2026View source: American Community Survey 5-year estimates 2017-2021 (opens in a new tab)
Annual Survey of State & Local Government Finances 2022 - Individual Unit File · 2022 survey file
U.S. Census Bureau
Retrieved October 12, 2026View source: Annual Survey of State & Local Government Finances 2022 - Individual Unit File (opens in a new tab)
Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2025 - incorporated places · 2025
U.S. Census Bureau
Retrieved October 7, 2026View source: Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2025 - incorporated places (opens in a new tab)

Dataset: Center, 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

Utilities & environment is Center’s largest difference from its peers (3.1× the peer median in FY2021). 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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Center · FY2021 municipal finance benchmarks

FY2021 in brief

FY2021 headline figures

Revenue per resident (definition)

Expenditures per resident (definition)

Tax revenue per resident (definition)

Debt per resident (definition)

How this number was calculated

What the numbers mean

Where the money comes from and where it goes

Money in

Money out

Center and its peers

Trends

Questions about Center’s finances

Community context

Explore further

Also in San Luis Valley

Sources

Utilities & environment is Center’s largest difference from its peers (3.1× the peer median in FY2021). See how that line moves month to month in your own budget-vs-actual.