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Estes Park · FY2021 municipal finance benchmarks

Larimer County · Northern Front Range · statutory town · Pop. 5,780 (2025 estimate); FY2021 per-resident figures use 5,873 · Census finance data FY2016–FY2023

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

City website (opens in a new tab)

Compare

FY2021 in brief

Estes Park collected $9,298 per resident (including city-run utilities), 3.8× the median of the 227 Colorado municipalities reporting that year, 3.3× its peers. Tax revenue per resident sits 97% above its peers, and 3.7× the state median. Debt per resident runs 67% above peers.

Regional hub: sales tax per resident is 4.2× the Colorado median.

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)

$9,298
3.3× peers
Includes city-owned utilities
Peer median
$2,820
CO median · 227 with a published figure
$2,476
Position
Higher than 95% of the 227 reporting
5-year changenominal dollars
+7.1%/yr
How Colorado compares on revenue per resident

Expenditures per resident (definition)

$9,364
2.9× peers
Includes city-owned utilities
Peer median
$3,200
CO median · 220 with a published figure
$2,208
Position
Higher than 96% of the 220 reporting
5-year changenominal dollars
+4.2%/yr

Tax revenue per resident (definition)

$3,952
97% above peers
Peer median
$2,009
CO median · 201 with a published figure
$1,072
Position
Higher than 92% of the 201 reporting
5-year changenominal dollars
+8.0%/yr

Debt per resident (definition)

$7,026
67% above peers
Peer median
$4,216
CO median · 199 with a published figure
$1,411
Position
Higher than 91% of the 199 reporting
5-year changenominal dollars
+28.4%/yr
How Colorado compares on debt per resident

How this number was calculated

Revenue per resident · $9,298
Reported by the city to the Census Bureau

  1. 1Metric

    $9,298 Total revenue divided by population

    = Total revenue ÷ population

    Full definition: Revenue per resident

  2. 2Inputs

    Total revenue $54.6M ÷ population 5,873 (2021 estimate)

  3. 3Census line items

    • A03 Commercial activities (other) charges
    • A60 Parking charges
    • A61 Parks & recreation charges
    • A89 General government (other) charges
    • A91 Water utility charges
    • A92 Electric utility charges
    • B89 Federal aid
    • C89 State aid
    • T01 Property tax
    • T09 General sales tax
    • T15 Selective sales taxes (lodging, utilities, etc.)
    • T20 Licenses & permits
    • T24 Licenses & permits
    • T28 Licenses & permits
    • T29 Licenses & permits
    • U30 Fines & forfeits
    • U40 Rents
    • U50 Private donations
    • U99 Miscellaneous

  4. 4Source file

What the numbers mean

  • Estes Park runs city-owned utilities, which add 48.6% 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
  • Estes Park relies on sales tax more than most Colorado municipalities. Tourism and regional retail can raise sales tax per resident because non-residents pay it.

Where the money comes from and where it goes

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

Regional hub: sales tax per resident is 4.2× 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 Utilities & environment: $5,223 per resident, 13.3× the peer median. On the revenue side, utility & transit charges is 11.8× peers.

Money in

Revenue

$9,298
per resident3.3× peers
Money in: Estes Park revenue per resident by category, FY2021, against the peer median. Open a category for its lines and Census item codes.
CategoryPer residentvs peers
$4,52011.8×peers $382
$3,6382.7×peers $1,338
$30422% belowpeers $388
$286in line withpeers $292
$2402.2×peers $108
$23513% belowpeers $271
$7490% belowpeers $731
Peer median of 5 peers · Colorado median of 227 reporting

Money out

Spending

$9,364
per resident2.9× peers
Money out: Estes Park spending per resident by category, FY2021, against the peer median. Open a category for its lines and Census item codes.
CategoryPer residentvs peers
$5,22313.3×peers $392
$1,274in line withpeers $1,215
$99849% abovepeers $669
$76311.1×peers $68
$60955% abovepeers $393
$34193% abovepeers $177
$155No peer comparisonpeers $0
None reported · peers $3$0None reported
Peer median of 4 peers · Colorado median of 220 reporting

Estes Park 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
Estes Park compared with its peer municipalities, FY2021, per resident
MunicipalityRevenueExpendituresTax revenueSales taxDebt
Estes ParkUtilities: City-owned utilities (water, electric, gas, transit) brought in 48.6% 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 4.2× the Colorado median.$9,298$9,364$3,952$3,638$7,026
SheridanUtilities: City-owned utilities (water, electric, gas, transit) brought in 0.4% 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.Regional hub: Sales tax per resident is 2.7× the Colorado median.$4,704$4,291$3,411$2,300$26,494
EatonUtilities: City-owned utilities (water, electric, gas, transit) brought in 25.9% 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.$1,473$387$358
DaconoUtilities: City-owned utilities (water, electric, gas, transit) brought in 18.5% 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.$2,303$2,833$948$393$4,422
Fort LuptonUtilities: City-owned utilities (water, electric, gas, transit) brought in 21.6% 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.$4,875$3,568$2,287$1,061$4,216
EdgewaterUtilities: City-owned utilities (water, electric, gas, transit) brought in 9.5% 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.Regional hub: Sales tax per resident is 1.9× the Colorado median.$2,820$2,654$1,731$1,616$140
Peer median$2,820$3,200$2,009$1,061$4,216

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 $6,610 to FY2023 $11,394.$0$5.7K$11.4K’16’17’18’19’20’21’22’23Peer median FY2016: $2,000Peer median FY2017: $2,908Peer median FY2018: $4,032Peer median FY2019: $4,457Peer median FY2020: $4,605Peer median FY2021: $2,820Peer median FY2022: $5,096Peer median FY2023: $6,083Colorado median FY2016: $1,746 (all 224 municipalities reporting)Colorado median FY2021: $2,476 (all 227 municipalities reporting)FY2016: $6,610FY2017: $7,564FY2018: $8,085FY2019: $7,678FY2020: $8,148FY2021: $9,298FY2022: $10,374FY2023: $11,394

Fiscal year · nominal dollars, not adjusted for inflation

Peer group changed in FY2017, FY2018, FY2021, FY2022, FY2023. 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$6,610$2,000$1,746 (224 reporting)
FY2017$7,564$2,908$2,694 (35 reporting, sample year)
FY2018$8,085$4,032$2,529 (75 reporting, sample year)
FY2019$7,678$4,457$2,694 (73 reporting, sample year)
FY2020$8,148$4,605$2,739 (76 reporting, sample year)
FY2021$9,298$2,820$2,476 (227 reporting)
FY2022$10,374$5,096$3,031 (72 reporting, sample year)
FY2023$11,394$6,083$3,580 (97 reporting, sample year)
Expenditures per resident
FY2016 $7,641 to FY2023 $11,678.$0$5.8K$11.7K’16’17’18’19’20’21’22’23Peer median FY2016: $1,357Peer median FY2017: $3,218Peer median FY2018: $3,579Peer median FY2019: $4,051Peer median FY2020: $3,499Peer median FY2021: $3,200Peer median FY2022: $4,786Peer median FY2023: $5,599Colorado median FY2016: $1,749 (all 224 municipalities reporting)Colorado median FY2021: $2,208 (all 227 municipalities reporting)FY2016: $7,641FY2017: $7,673FY2018: $6,941FY2019: $6,557FY2020: $10,034FY2021: $9,364FY2022: $9,323. Excludes equipment purchases and payments to other governments, which Census stopped reporting after FY2021.FY2023: $11,678. 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.

Peer group changed in FY2017, FY2018, FY2021, FY2022, FY2023, 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$7,641$1,357$1,749 (196 reporting)
FY2017$7,673$3,218$2,663 (35 reporting, sample year)
FY2018$6,941$3,579$2,387 (74 reporting, sample year)
FY2019$6,557$4,051$2,759 (71 reporting, sample year)
FY2020$10,034$3,499$2,485 (74 reporting, sample year)
FY2021$9,364$3,200$2,208 (220 reporting)
FY2022$9,323$4,786$3,025 (71 reporting, sample year)
FY2023$11,678$5,599$3,680 (91 reporting, sample year)
Tax revenue per resident
FY2016 $2,687 to FY2023 $4,347.$0$2.2K$4.3K’16’17’18’19’20’21’22’23Peer median FY2016: $536Peer median FY2017: $2,266Peer median FY2018: $1,668Peer median FY2019: $1,830Peer median FY2020: $2,071Peer median FY2021: $2,009Peer median FY2022: $2,025Peer median FY2023: $3,791Colorado median FY2016: $705 (all 224 municipalities reporting)Colorado median FY2021: $1,072 (all 227 municipalities reporting)FY2016: $2,687FY2017: $2,778FY2018: $2,656FY2019: $2,845FY2020: $2,913FY2021: $3,952FY2022: $4,293FY2023: $4,347

Fiscal year · nominal dollars, not adjusted for inflation

Peer group changed in FY2017, FY2018, FY2021, FY2022, FY2023. 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$2,687$536$705 (193 reporting)
FY2017$2,778$2,266$1,098 (34 reporting, sample year)
FY2018$2,656$1,668$1,173 (70 reporting, sample year)
FY2019$2,845$1,830$1,187 (71 reporting, sample year)
FY2020$2,913$2,071$1,238 (72 reporting, sample year)
FY2021$3,952$2,009$1,072 (201 reporting)
FY2022$4,293$2,025$1,631 (71 reporting, sample year)
FY2023$4,347$3,791$1,726 (90 reporting, sample year)
Debt per resident
FY2016 $2,012 to FY2023 $6,548.$0$3.7K$7.4K’16’17’18’19’20’21’22’23Peer median FY2016: $605Peer median FY2017: $2,725Peer median FY2018: $2,708Peer median FY2019: $2,086Peer median FY2020: $2,773Peer median FY2021: $4,216Peer median FY2022: $3,276Peer median FY2023: $3,222Colorado median FY2016: $1,072 (all 224 municipalities reporting)Colorado median FY2021: $1,411 (all 227 municipalities reporting)FY2016: $2,012FY2017: $2,473FY2018: $2,276FY2019: $6,789FY2020: $7,364FY2021: $7,026FY2022: $6,835FY2023: $6,548

Fiscal year · nominal dollars, not adjusted for inflation

Peer group changed in FY2017, FY2018, FY2021, FY2022, FY2023. 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$2,012$605$1,072 (220 reporting)
FY2017$2,473$2,725$1,482 (34 reporting, sample year)
FY2018$2,276$2,708$1,644 (70 reporting, sample year)
FY2019$6,789$2,086$1,627 (69 reporting, sample year)
FY2020$7,364$2,773$1,798 (71 reporting, sample year)
FY2021$7,026$4,216$1,411 (199 reporting)
FY2022$6,835$3,276$2,068 (73 reporting, sample year)
FY2023$6,548$3,222$2,130 (91 reporting, sample year)

Questions about Estes Park’s finances

How much revenue does Estes Park collect per resident?
Estes Park collected $9,298 per resident in FY2021, 3.8× the median of the 227 Colorado municipalities reporting that year. See the figure
How does Estes Park's spending per resident compare with similar cities?
Estes Park spent $9,364 per resident in FY2021, 2.9× the median of its peers: Sheridan, Eaton, Dacono, Fort Lupton and Edgewater. See the figure
How much debt does Estes Park have per resident?
Estes Park carried $7,026 of debt per resident in FY2021, 67% above its peers' median. See the figure
Which cities is Estes Park compared with?
Estes Park is compared with Sheridan, Eaton, Dacono, Fort Lupton and Edgewater: 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)
−1.7%/yr
2021 estimate
Median household income
$56.2K
2021 estimate
Poverty rate
10.9%
2021 estimate
Median home value
$463.4K
2021 estimate
Housing vacancy rate
31.5%
2021 estimate

Explore further

Also in Northern Front Range

Revenue per resident, latest published year.

Sources

Dataset: Estes Park, 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 Estes Park’s largest difference from its peers (13.3× the peer median in FY2021). See how that line moves month to month in your own budget-vs-actual.

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