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Elizabeth · FY2016 municipal finance benchmarks

Elbert County · Eastern Plains · statutory town · Pop. 2,957 (2025 estimate); FY2016 per-resident figures use 1,491 · Census finance data FY2016, FY2018, FY2019, FY2020, FY2021, FY2022

You’re viewing FY2016. See the latest view (FY2022). Latest Census Bureau finance data for Elizabeth: FY2022. 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

Elizabeth collected $2,762 per resident (including city-run utilities), 58% above the median of the 224 Colorado municipalities reporting that year, 13% above its peers. Tax revenue per resident sits 79% above its peers, and 38% above the state median. Debt per resident runs 44% above peers.

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)

$2,762
13% above peers
Includes city-owned utilities
Peer median
$2,440
CO median · 224 with a published figure
$1,746
Position
Higher than 73% 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)

$3,152
44% above peers
Includes city-owned utilities
Peer median
$2,186
CO median · 196 with a published figure
$1,749
Position
Higher than 75% of the 196 reporting
5-year changenominal dollars
Not enough history for a 5-year change

Tax revenue per resident (definition)

$970
79% above peers
Peer median
$541
CO median · 193 with a published figure
$705
Position
Higher than 69% of the 193 reporting
5-year changenominal dollars
Not enough history for a 5-year change

Debt per resident (definition)

$1,693
44% above peers
Peer median
$1,173
CO median · 220 with a published figure
$1,072
Position
Higher than 67% 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 · $2,762
Includes Census estimates for 100% of revenue

  1. 1Metric

    $2,762 Total revenue divided by population

    = Total revenue ÷ population

    Full definition: Revenue per resident

  2. 2Inputs

    Total revenue $4.1M ÷ population 1,491 (2016 estimate)

  3. 3Census line items

    • A01 Airport charges
    • A03 Commercial activities (other) charges
    • A59 Natural resources charges
    • A61 Parks & recreation charges
    • A80 Sewer charges
    • A81 Solid waste charges
    • A89 General government (other) charges
    • A91 Water utility charges
    • A94 Transit charges
    • B21 Federal aid
    • B91 Federal aid
    • B94 Federal aid
    • C21 State aid
    • C30 State aid
    • C42 State aid
    • C46 State aid
    • C89 State aid
    • D42 Local government aid
    • D46 Local government aid
    • D50 Local government aid
    • T01 Property tax
    • T09 General sales tax
    • T15 Selective sales taxes (lodging, utilities, etc.)
    • T19 Selective sales taxes (lodging, utilities, etc.)
    • T24 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

  • Elizabeth runs city-owned utilities, which add 17.8% 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 1,491 residents, small changes in Elizabeth's budget move per-resident figures a lot. Compare several years, not one.
  • Part of Elizabeth'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 Elizabeth; the gold tick is the peer median. How categories work

The biggest difference from peers is General government: $453 per resident, 2.8× the peer median. On the revenue side, intergovernmental is 2.8× peers.

Money in

Revenue

$2,762
per resident13% above peers
Money in: Elizabeth revenue per resident by category, FY2016, against the peer median. Open a category for its lines and Census item codes.
CategoryPer residentvs peers
$61987% abovepeers $331
$5672.8×peers $201
$49233% belowpeers $735
$23813% abovepeers $211
$11516% belowpeers $137
$7852% abovepeers $51
Withheldpeers $298
Peer median of 4 peers · Colorado median of 224 reporting

Money out

Spending

$3,152
per resident44% above peers
Money out: Elizabeth spending per resident by category, FY2016, against the peer median. Open a category for its lines and Census item codes.
CategoryPer residentvs peers
$682in line withpeers $700
$460No peer comparisonpeers $0
$45448% abovepeers $307
$4532.8×peers $160
$3482.3×peers $149
$29143% abovepeers $203
$25368.5×peers $4
$1093.9×peers $28
$1032.2×peers $47
Peer median of 3 peers · Colorado median of 196 reporting

Elizabeth 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
Elizabeth compared with its peer municipalities, FY2016, per resident
MunicipalityRevenueExpendituresTax revenueSales taxDebt
ElizabethUtilities: City-owned utilities (water, electric, gas, transit) brought in 17.8% 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.$2,762$3,152$970$1,693
JulesburgUtilities: City-owned utilities (water, electric, gas, transit) brought in 42.9% 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.$2,377$298$1,173
AkronUtilities: City-owned utilities (water, electric, gas, transit) brought in 14.9% 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.$1,332$1,237$714$298$1,153
SpringfieldUtilities: City-owned utilities (water, electric, gas, transit) brought in 60.3% 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.$2,503$2,186$369$232$247
LimonUtilities: City-owned utilities (water, electric, gas, transit) brought in 16.6% 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.$2,711$2,784$832$584$1,868
Peer median$2,440$2,186$541Benchmark unavailable$1,173

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
FY2016 $2,762 to FY2022 $4,481. 1 year withheld.$0$3K$6K’16’18’19’20’21’22Peer median FY2016: $2,440Peer median FY2018: $2,195Peer median FY2020: $2,151Peer median FY2021: $2,631Peer median FY2022: $2,184Colorado median FY2016: $1,746 (all 224 municipalities reporting)Colorado median FY2021: $2,476 (all 227 municipalities reporting)FY2016: $2,762FY2018: $4,531FY2020: $6,025FY2021: $5,044FY2022: $4,481FY2019: withheld — Revenue per resident is 33% of this city's typical level in other years

Fiscal year · nominal dollars, not adjusted for inflation

  • FY2019 withheld: Revenue per resident is 33% of this city's typical level in other years

Peer group changed in FY2018, FY2019, FY2020, FY2021, FY2022. 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$2,762$2,440$1,746 (224 reporting)
FY2018$4,531$2,195$2,529 (75 reporting, sample year)
FY2019Withheld (Revenue per resident is 33% of this city's typical level in other years)Benchmark unavailable$2,694 (73 reporting, sample year)
FY2020$6,025$2,151$2,739 (76 reporting, sample year)
FY2021$5,044$2,631$2,476 (227 reporting)
FY2022$4,481$2,184$3,031 (72 reporting, sample year)
Expenditures per resident
FY2016 $3,152 to FY2022 $3,296. 1 year withheld.$0$2.1K$4.2K’16’18’19’20’21’22Peer median FY2016: $2,186Peer median FY2018: $1,378Peer median FY2020: $1,609Peer median FY2021: $2,216Peer median FY2022: $1,811Colorado median FY2016: $1,749 (all 224 municipalities reporting)Colorado median FY2021: $2,208 (all 227 municipalities reporting)FY2016: $3,152FY2018: $2,429FY2020: $3,450FY2021: $4,153FY2022: $3,296. Excludes equipment purchases and payments to other governments, which Census stopped reporting after FY2021.FY2019: withheld — Expenditures per resident is 27% of this city's typical level in other years

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.

  • FY2019 withheld: Expenditures per resident is 27% of this city's typical level in other years

Peer group changed in FY2018, FY2019, FY2020, FY2021, FY2022, 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$3,152$2,186$1,749 (196 reporting)
FY2018$2,429$1,378$2,387 (74 reporting, sample year)
FY2019Withheld (Expenditures per resident is 27% of this city's typical level in other years)Benchmark unavailable$2,759 (71 reporting, sample year)
FY2020$3,450$1,609$2,485 (74 reporting, sample year)
FY2021$4,153$2,216$2,208 (220 reporting)
FY2022$3,296$1,811$3,025 (71 reporting, sample year)
Tax revenue per resident
FY2016 $970 to FY2022 $2,557. 2 years withheld.$0$1.4K$2.7K’16’18’19’20’21’22Peer median FY2016: $541Peer median FY2018: $505Peer median FY2021: $829Peer median FY2022: $697Colorado median FY2016: $705 (all 224 municipalities reporting)Colorado median FY2021: $1,072 (all 227 municipalities reporting)FY2016: $970FY2018: $2,128FY2021: $2,737FY2022: $2,557FY2019: withheld — Tax revenue per resident is 24% of this city's typical level in other yearsFY2020: withheld — Tax revenue per resident is 6.3x the peer median

Fiscal year · nominal dollars, not adjusted for inflation

  • FY2019 withheld: Tax revenue per resident is 24% of this city's typical level in other years
  • FY2020 withheld: Tax revenue per resident is 6.3x the peer median

Peer group changed in FY2018, FY2019, FY2020, FY2021, FY2022. 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$970$541$705 (193 reporting)
FY2018$2,128$505$1,173 (70 reporting, sample year)
FY2019Withheld (Tax revenue per resident is 24% of this city's typical level in other years)Benchmark unavailable$1,187 (71 reporting, sample year)
FY2020Withheld (Tax revenue per resident is 6.3x the peer median)Benchmark unavailable$1,238 (72 reporting, sample year)
FY2021$2,737$829$1,072 (201 reporting)
FY2022$2,557$697$1,631 (71 reporting, sample year)
Debt per resident
FY2016 $1,693 to FY2022 $1,168.$0$2.4K$4.9K’16’18’19’20’21’22Peer median FY2016: $1,173Peer median FY2018: $1,572Peer median FY2019: $1,345Peer median FY2020: $1,164Peer median FY2021: $2,890Peer median FY2022: $972Colorado median FY2016: $1,072 (all 224 municipalities reporting)Colorado median FY2021: $1,411 (all 227 municipalities reporting)FY2016: $1,693FY2018: $4,870FY2019: $4,088FY2020: $3,299FY2021: $1,564FY2022: $1,168

Fiscal year · nominal dollars, not adjusted for inflation

Peer group changed in FY2018, FY2019, FY2020, FY2021, FY2022. 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$1,693$1,173$1,072 (220 reporting)
FY2018$4,870$1,572$1,644 (70 reporting, sample year)
FY2019$4,088$1,345$1,627 (69 reporting, sample year)
FY2020$3,299$1,164$1,798 (71 reporting, sample year)
FY2021$1,564$2,890$1,411 (199 reporting)
FY2022$1,168$972$2,068 (73 reporting, sample year)

Questions about Elizabeth’s finances

How much revenue does Elizabeth collect per resident?
Elizabeth collected $2,762 per resident in FY2016, 58% above the median of the 224 Colorado municipalities reporting that year. See the figure
How does Elizabeth's spending per resident compare with similar cities?
Elizabeth spent $3,152 per resident in FY2016, 44% above the median of its peers: Julesburg, Akron, Springfield and Limon. See the figure
How much debt does Elizabeth have per resident?
Elizabeth carried $1,693 of debt per resident in FY2016, 44% above its peers' median. See the figure
Which cities is Elizabeth compared with?
Elizabeth is compared with Julesburg, Akron, Springfield and Limon: 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)
+1.8%/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 Eastern Plains

Revenue per resident, latest published year.

Sources

Dataset: Elizabeth, 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 Elizabeth’s largest difference from its peers (2.8× the peer median in FY2016). See how that line moves month to month in your own budget-vs-actual.

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