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Colorado Springs · FY2021 municipal finance benchmarks

El Paso County · Pikes Peak · home rule municipality · Pop. 494,743 (2025 estimate); FY2021 per-resident figures use 484,135 · Census finance data FY2016–FY2023

You’re viewing FY2021. See the latest view (FY2023). Latest Census Bureau finance data for Colorado Springs: FY2023. Retrieved Oct 2026. Newer years are added when the Census Bureau publishes them. Why the lag?

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FY2021 in brief

Colorado Springs collected $3,915 per resident (including city-run utilities), 58% above the median of the 227 Colorado municipalities reporting that year. Tax revenue per resident sits 29% below its peers, and 14% below the state median. Debt per resident runs 3.0× peers.

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

Compared with

Nearest on population, household income and region

FY2021 headline figures

Revenue per resident (definition)

$3,915
55% above peers
Includes city-owned utilities
Peer median
$2,522
CO median · 227 with a published figure
$2,476
Position
Higher than 77% of the 227 reporting
5-year changenominal dollars
+6.4%/yr
How Colorado compares on revenue per resident

Expenditures per resident (definition)

$3,355
39% above peers
Includes city-owned utilities
Peer median
$2,422
CO median · 220 with a published figure
$2,208
Position
Higher than 74% of the 220 reporting
5-year changenominal dollars
+5.2%/yr

Tax revenue per resident (definition)

$922
29% below peers
Peer median
$1,290
CO median · 201 with a published figure
$1,072
Position
Higher than 40% of the 201 reporting
5-year changenominal dollars
+5.2%/yr

Debt per resident (definition)

$5,231
3.0× peers
Peer median
$1,753
CO median · 199 with a published figure
$1,411
Position
Higher than 90% of the 199 reporting
5-year changenominal dollars
−0.6%/yr
How Colorado compares on debt per resident

How this number was calculated

Revenue per resident · $3,915
Reported by the city to the Census Bureau

  1. 1Metric

    $3,915 Total revenue divided by population

    = Total revenue ÷ population

    Full definition: Revenue per resident

  2. 2Inputs

    Total revenue $1.9B ÷ population 484,135 (2021 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
    • A92 Electric utility charges
    • A93 Gas utility charges
    • B89 Federal aid
    • C89 State aid
    • D89 Local government aid
    • T01 Property tax
    • T09 General sales tax
    • T15 Selective sales taxes (lodging, utilities, etc.)
    • T19 Selective sales taxes (lodging, utilities, etc.)
    • T28 Licenses & permits
    • U01 Special assessments
    • U11 Sale of property
    • U20 Interest earnings
    • U30 Fines & forfeits
    • U40 Rents
    • U50 Private donations
    • U99 Miscellaneous

  4. 4Source file

What the numbers mean

Where the money comes from and where it goes

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

The biggest difference from peers is Utilities & environment: $1,803 per resident, 2.5× the peer median. On the revenue side, utility & transit charges is 5.3× peers.

Money in

Revenue

$3,915
per resident55% above peers
Money in: Colorado Springs revenue per resident by category, FY2021, against the peer median. Open a category for its lines and Census item codes.
CategoryPer residentvs peers
$2,0495.3×peers $385
$72623% belowpeers $946
$43178% abovepeers $242
$291in line withpeers $286
$221in line withpeers $223
$10265% belowpeers $290
$9431% belowpeers $136
Peer median of 5 peers · Colorado median of 227 reporting

Money out

Spending

$3,355
per resident39% above peers
Money out: Colorado Springs spending per resident by category, FY2021, against the peer median. Open a category for its lines and Census item codes.
CategoryPer residentvs peers
$1,8032.5×peers $735
$42131% belowpeers $612
$40471% abovepeers $237
$39820% belowpeers $499
$1962.9×peers $67
$13364% belowpeers $371
Peer median of 5 peers · Colorado median of 220 reporting

Colorado Springs 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
Colorado Springs compared with its peer municipalities, FY2021, per resident
MunicipalityRevenueExpendituresTax revenueSales taxDebt
Colorado SpringsUtilities: City-owned utilities (water, electric, gas, transit) brought in 52.4% 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.$3,915$3,355$922$726$5,231
AuroraUtilities: City-owned utilities (water, electric, gas, transit) brought in 14.2% 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.$2,415$2,422$1,421$903$2,145
DenverUtilities: City-owned utilities (water, electric, gas, transit) brought in 6.6% 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 1.7× the Colorado median.$7,097$7,599$2,694$1,443$12,183
Fort CollinsUtilities: City-owned utilities (water, electric, gas, transit) brought in 33.2% 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.$3,396$4,233$1,276$961$1,324
LakewoodUtilities: City-owned utilities (water, electric, gas, transit) brought in 0.5% 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.$1,498$1,191$942$736$142
ThorntonUtilities: City-owned utilities (water, electric, gas, transit) brought in 15.3% 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.$2,522$2,268$1,290$946$1,753
Peer median$2,522$2,422$1,290$946$1,753

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 $2,865 to FY2023 $3,782.$0$2.2K$4.3K’16’17’18’19’20’21’22’23Peer median FY2016: $1,721Peer median FY2017: $1,728Peer median FY2018: $1,815Peer median FY2019: $2,530Peer median FY2020: $2,485Peer median FY2021: $2,522Peer median FY2022: $2,967Peer median FY2023: $2,756Colorado median FY2016: $1,746 (all 224 municipalities reporting)Colorado median FY2021: $2,476 (all 227 municipalities reporting)FY2016: $2,865FY2017: $3,014FY2018: $3,270FY2019: $3,322FY2020: $3,450FY2021: $3,915FY2022: $4,338FY2023: $3,782

Fiscal year · nominal dollars, not adjusted for inflation

Show data table
Revenue per resident by fiscal year
YearThis cityPeer medianColorado median
FY2016$2,865$1,721$1,746 (224 reporting)
FY2017$3,014$1,728$2,694 (35 reporting, sample year)
FY2018$3,270$1,815$2,529 (75 reporting, sample year)
FY2019$3,322$2,530$2,694 (73 reporting, sample year)
FY2020$3,450$2,485$2,739 (76 reporting, sample year)
FY2021$3,915$2,522$2,476 (227 reporting)
FY2022$4,338$2,967$3,031 (72 reporting, sample year)
FY2023$3,782$2,756$3,580 (97 reporting, sample year)
Expenditures per resident
FY2016 $2,606 to FY2023 $4,673.$0$2.3K$4.7K’16’17’18’19’20’21’22’23Peer median FY2016: $1,659Peer median FY2017: $1,693Peer median FY2018: $1,915Peer median FY2019: $2,312Peer median FY2020: $2,476Peer median FY2021: $2,422Peer median FY2022: $2,716Peer median FY2023: $2,956Colorado median FY2016: $1,749 (all 224 municipalities reporting)Colorado median FY2021: $2,208 (all 227 municipalities reporting)FY2016: $2,606FY2017: $2,981FY2018: $3,017FY2019: $2,759FY2020: $2,979FY2021: $3,355FY2022: $3,732. Excludes equipment purchases and payments to other governments, which Census stopped reporting after FY2021.FY2023: $4,673. 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.

Show data table
Expenditures per resident by fiscal year
YearThis cityPeer medianColorado median
FY2016$2,606$1,659$1,749 (196 reporting)
FY2017$2,981$1,693$2,663 (35 reporting, sample year)
FY2018$3,017$1,915$2,387 (74 reporting, sample year)
FY2019$2,759$2,312$2,759 (71 reporting, sample year)
FY2020$2,979$2,476$2,485 (74 reporting, sample year)
FY2021$3,355$2,422$2,208 (220 reporting)
FY2022$3,732$2,716$3,025 (71 reporting, sample year)
FY2023$4,673$2,956$3,680 (91 reporting, sample year)
Tax revenue per resident
FY2016 $716 to FY2023 $829.$0$715.9$1.4K’16’17’18’19’20’21’22’23Peer median FY2016: $903Peer median FY2017: $1,101Peer median FY2018: $935Peer median FY2019: $1,058Peer median FY2020: $1,116Peer median FY2021: $1,290Peer median FY2022: $1,427Peer median FY2023: $1,432Colorado median FY2016: $705 (all 224 municipalities reporting)Colorado median FY2021: $1,072 (all 227 municipalities reporting)FY2016: $716FY2017: $760FY2018: $789FY2019: $804FY2020: $806FY2021: $922FY2022: $983FY2023: $829

Fiscal year · nominal dollars, not adjusted for inflation

Show data table
Tax revenue per resident by fiscal year
YearThis cityPeer medianColorado median
FY2016$716$903$705 (193 reporting)
FY2017$760$1,101$1,098 (34 reporting, sample year)
FY2018$789$935$1,173 (70 reporting, sample year)
FY2019$804$1,058$1,187 (71 reporting, sample year)
FY2020$806$1,116$1,238 (72 reporting, sample year)
FY2021$922$1,290$1,072 (201 reporting)
FY2022$983$1,427$1,631 (71 reporting, sample year)
FY2023$829$1,432$1,726 (90 reporting, sample year)
Debt per resident
FY2016 $5,404 to FY2023 $5,570.$0$2.8K$5.6K’16’17’18’19’20’21’22’23Peer median FY2016: $624Peer median FY2017: $518Peer median FY2018: $1,270Peer median FY2019: $1,457Peer median FY2020: $1,559Peer median FY2021: $1,753Peer median FY2022: $1,659Peer median FY2023: $1,563Colorado median FY2016: $1,072 (all 224 municipalities reporting)Colorado median FY2021: $1,411 (all 227 municipalities reporting)FY2016: $5,404FY2017: $5,313FY2018: $5,531FY2019: $5,268FY2020: $5,157FY2021: $5,231FY2022: $5,246FY2023: $5,570

Fiscal year · nominal dollars, not adjusted for inflation

Show data table
Debt per resident by fiscal year
YearThis cityPeer medianColorado median
FY2016$5,404$624$1,072 (220 reporting)
FY2017$5,313$518$1,482 (34 reporting, sample year)
FY2018$5,531$1,270$1,644 (70 reporting, sample year)
FY2019$5,268$1,457$1,627 (69 reporting, sample year)
FY2020$5,157$1,559$1,798 (71 reporting, sample year)
FY2021$5,231$1,753$1,411 (199 reporting)
FY2022$5,246$1,659$2,068 (73 reporting, sample year)
FY2023$5,570$1,563$2,130 (91 reporting, sample year)

Questions about Colorado Springs’s finances

How much revenue does Colorado Springs collect per resident?
Colorado Springs collected $3,915 per resident in FY2021, 58% above the median of the 227 Colorado municipalities reporting that year. See the figure
How does Colorado Springs's spending per resident compare with similar cities?
Colorado Springs spent $3,355 per resident in FY2021, 39% above the median of its peers: Aurora, Denver, Fort Collins, Lakewood and Thornton. See the figure
How much debt does Colorado Springs have per resident?
Colorado Springs carried $5,231 of debt per resident in FY2021, 3.0× its peers' median. See the figure
Which cities is Colorado Springs compared with?
Colorado Springs is compared with Aurora, Denver, Fort Collins, Lakewood and Thornton: 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)
+1.1%/yr
2021 estimate
Median household income
$72K
2021 estimate
Poverty rate
10.9%
2021 estimate
Median home value
$324.1K
2021 estimate
Housing vacancy rate
4.5%
2021 estimate

Explore further

Also in Pikes Peak

Revenue per resident, latest published year.

Sources

Dataset: Colorado Springs, 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 Colorado Springs’s largest difference from its peers (2.5× the peer median in FY2021). See how that line moves month to month in your own budget-vs-actual.

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