Cheyenne Wells · FY2021 municipal finance benchmarks

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

Cheyenne County · Eastern Plains · statutory town · Pop. 722 (2025 estimate); FY2021 per-resident figures use 739 · Census finance data FY2016, FY2021

Latest Census Bureau finance data for Cheyenne Wells: 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

Cheyenne Wells collected $1,495 per resident (including city-run utilities), 40% below the median of the 227 Colorado municipalities reporting that year, 11% above its peers. Tax revenue per resident sits 40% above its peers, but 23% below the state median.

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)

$1,495

11% above peers

Includes city-owned utilities

Peer median: $1,342
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 21% of the 227 reporting
5-year changenominal dollars: +9.5%/yr

How Colorado compares on revenue per resident

Expenditures per resident (definition)

$1,177

22% below peers

Includes city-owned utilities

Peer median: $1,503
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 15% of the 220 reporting
5-year changenominal dollars: Not enough history for a 5-year change

Tax revenue per resident (definition)

$829

40% above peers

Peer median: $591
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 33% of the 201 reporting
5-year changenominal dollars: +15.6%/yr

Debt per resident (definition)

Peer median: Not reported for this year
CO median: Not reported for this year
Position: Not reported for this year
5-year change: Not reported for this year

How Colorado compares on debt per resident

How this number was calculated

Revenue per resident · $1,495

Reported by the city to the Census Bureau

1Metric
$1,495 Total revenue divided by population
= Total revenue ÷ population
Full definition: Revenue per resident
2Inputs
Total revenue $1.1M ÷ population 739 (2021 estimate)
3Census line items
- A89 General government (other) charges
- A91 Water utility charges
- C89 State aid
- T01 Property tax
- T09 General sales tax
- T28 Licenses & permits
- T29 Licenses & permits
- U20 Interest earnings
- U30 Fines & forfeits
- 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

Cheyenne Wells runs city-owned utilities, which add 29.2% 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
With about 739 residents, small changes in Cheyenne Wells'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 Cheyenne Wells; the gold tick is the peer median. How categories work

The biggest difference from peers is Utilities & environment: $786 per resident, 10% above the peer median. On the revenue side, fees & charges is 100% below peers.

Money in

Revenue

$1,495

per resident11% above peers

Money in: Cheyenne Wells 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
	$437	$420	in line with peerspeers $420	29%

Water utility charges $437 · peers $420 Revenue of city-owned water, electric, gas and transit systems. Census line items A91 Water utility charges
	$378	$286	32% above peerspeers $286	25%

General sales tax $378 · peers $286 General sales and use tax. Census line items T09 General sales tax
	$361	$109	3.3× peerspeers $109	24%

Property tax $361 · peers $109 Property tax levied by the municipality. Census line items T01 Property tax
	$194	$130	49% above peerspeers $130	13%

State aid $194 · peers $58 Grants and shared revenue from federal, state and local governments. Census line items C89 State aid
	$91	$140	35% below peerspeers $140	6%

Licenses & permits $91 · peers $44 Lodging, utility, tobacco and other selective sales taxes, licenses and permits, and other taxes. Census line items T28 Licenses & permits T29 Licenses & permits
	$34	$29	17% above peerspeers $29	2%

Interest earnings $20 · peers $0 Miscellaneous $12 · peers $0 Fines & forfeits $1 · peers $1 Interest earnings, fines, rents, special assessments, donations and sales of property. Census line items U20 Interest earnings U30 Fines & forfeits U99 Miscellaneous
	$1	$316	100% below peerspeers $316	<1%

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

Peer median of 4 peers · Colorado median of 227 reporting

Money out

Spending

$1,177

per resident22% below peers

Money out: Cheyenne Wells 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
	$786	$717	10% above peerspeers $717	67%

Water utility $783 · peers $495 incl. $376 construction Natural resources $3 · peers $0 incl. $376 construction Water, sewer, solid waste, electric and gas utilities, and natural resources. Census line items E59 Natural resources E91 Water utility F91 Water utility
	$222	$285	22% below peerspeers $285	19%

General government (other) $221 · peers $63 incl. $9 construction Judicial & legal $1 · peers $0 incl. $9 construction Administration, finance, legal and courts, public buildings and other general government. Census line items E25 Judicial & legal E89 General government (other) F89 General government (other)
	$142	$110	29% above peerspeers $110	12%

Streets & highways $142 · peers $110 Streets and highways, transit, parking and airports. Census line items E44 Streets & highways
	$9	$25	61% below peerspeers $25	1%

Parks & recreation $9 · peers $25 Parks and recreation, libraries, housing and community development. Census line items E61 Parks & recreation
None reported · peers $35	$0	$35	None reported	0%

Cheyenne Wells reported nothing in this category for FY2021. Interest paid on the municipality's debt.
	Withheld Cheyenne Wells · Public safety · FY2021 Reason: Police spending per resident is 9% of the peer median We don't publish figures that fail our quality checks until they're verified against the city's audited financial report.	$105	Withheldpeers $105	Withheld

Police Withheld Cheyenne Wells · Police · FY2021 Reason: Police spending per resident is 9% of the peer median We don't publish figures that fail our quality checks until they're verified against the city's audited financial report. · peers $105 Police, fire protection, inspection and corrections. Census line items E62 Police

Peer median of 3 peers · Colorado median of 220 reporting

Cheyenne Wells 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

Cheyenne Wells compared with its peer municipalities, FY2021, per resident
Municipality	Revenue	Expenditures	Tax revenue	Sales tax	Debt
Cheyenne WellsUtilities: City-owned utilities (water, electric, gas, transit) brought in 29.2% 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.	$1,495	$1,177	$829	$378	Not reported for this year
Kiowa	$733	Withheld Kiowa · Expenditures per resident · FY2021 Reason: Expenditures per resident is 19% of the peer median We don't publish figures that fail our quality checks until they're verified against the city's audited financial report.	$533	$286	Not reported for this year
EadsUtilities: City-owned utilities (water, electric, gas, transit) brought in 25.8% 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.	$1,635	$1,503	$591	$341	$1,206
Log Lane VillageUtilities: City-owned utilities (water, electric, gas, transit) brought in 17.7% 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.	$2,366	$1,752	$1,333	Withheld Log Lane Village · Sales tax per resident · FY2021 Reason: Sales tax per resident is 18% of the peer median We don't publish figures that fail our quality checks until they're verified against the city's audited financial report.	$1,825
SwinkUtilities: City-owned utilities (water, electric, gas, transit) brought in 40.2% 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.	$1,049	$1,133	$252	Not reported for this year	$515
Peer median	$1,342	$1,503	$591	$341	Not reported for this year

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

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	$949	$1,735	$1,746 (224 reporting)
FY2021	$1,495	$1,342	$2,476 (227 reporting)

Expenditures per resident

Fiscal year · nominal dollars, not adjusted for inflation

FY2016 withheld: Expenditures per resident is 12% of the peer median

Show data table

Expenditures per resident by fiscal year
Year	This city	Peer median	Colorado median
FY2016	Withheld (Expenditures per resident is 12% of the peer median)	Benchmark unavailable	$1,749 (196 reporting)
FY2021	$1,177	$1,503	$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	$402	$412	$705 (193 reporting)
FY2021	$829	$591	$1,072 (201 reporting)

Questions about Cheyenne Wells’s finances

How much revenue does Cheyenne Wells collect per resident?: Cheyenne Wells collected $1,495 per resident in FY2021, 40% below the median of the 227 Colorado municipalities reporting that year. See the figure
How does Cheyenne Wells's spending per resident compare with similar cities?: Cheyenne Wells spent $1,177 per resident in FY2021, 22% below the median of its peers: Kiowa, Eads, Log Lane Village and Swink. See the figure
Which cities is Cheyenne Wells compared with?: Cheyenne Wells is compared with Kiowa, Eads, Log Lane Village and Swink: 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): −2.7%/yr; 2021 estimate
Median household income: $53.9K; 2021 estimate
Poverty rate: 10.8%; 2021 estimate
Median home value: $155K; 2021 estimate
Housing vacancy rate: 20.7%; 2021 estimate

Explore further

Also in Eastern Plains

Kiowa$733 · FY2021
Hugo$1,619 · FY2016
Stratton$1,566 · FY2021
Eads$1,635 · FY2021
Holly$2,746 · FY2021
Simla$538 · FY2021
Flagler$1,998 · FY2021
Swink$1,049 · 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: Cheyenne Wells, 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 Cheyenne Wells’s largest difference from its peers (10% above 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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Cheyenne Wells · 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

Cheyenne Wells and its peers

Trends

Questions about Cheyenne Wells’s finances

Community context

Explore further

Also in Eastern Plains

Sources

Utilities & environment is Cheyenne Wells’s largest difference from its peers (10% above the peer median in FY2021). See how that line moves month to month in your own budget-vs-actual.