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Fort Collins · FY2016 municipal finance benchmarks

Larimer County · Northern Front Range · home rule municipality · Pop. 171,500 (2025 estimate); FY2016 per-resident figures use 162,729 · Census finance data FY2016–FY2023

You’re viewing FY2016. See the latest view (FY2023). Latest Census Bureau finance data for Fort Collins: FY2023. Retrieved Oct 2026. Newer years are added when the Census Bureau publishes them. Why the lag?

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FY2016 in brief

Fort Collins collected $2,943 per resident (including city-run utilities), 69% above the median of the 224 Colorado municipalities reporting that year, 44% above its peers. Tax revenue per resident sits 13% above its peers, and 53% above the state median. Debt per resident runs 46% below peers.

Regional hub: sales tax per resident is 1.6× the Colorado median.

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)

$2,943
44% above peers
Includes city-owned utilities
Peer median
$2,037
CO median · 224 with a published figure
$1,746
Position
Higher than 77% 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)

$3,038
54% above peers
Includes city-owned utilities
Peer median
$1,978
CO median · 196 with a published figure
$1,749
Position
Higher than 74% of the 196 reporting
5-year changenominal dollars
Not enough history for a 5-year change

Tax revenue per resident (definition)

$1,082
13% above peers
Peer median
$955
CO median · 193 with a published figure
$705
Position
Higher than 75% of the 193 reporting
5-year changenominal dollars
Not enough history for a 5-year change

Debt per resident (definition)

$624
46% below peers
Peer median
$1,161
CO median · 220 with a published figure
$1,072
Position
Higher than 36% 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 · $2,943
Includes Census estimates for 100% of revenue

  1. 1Metric

    $2,943 Total revenue divided by population

    = Total revenue ÷ population

    Full definition: Revenue per resident

  2. 2Inputs

    Total revenue $478.9M ÷ population 162,729 (2016 estimate)

  3. 3Census line items

    • A03 Commercial activities (other) charges
    • A44 Streets & highways charges
    • A60 Parking charges
    • A61 Parks & recreation charges
    • A80 Sewer charges
    • A89 General government (other) charges
    • A91 Water utility charges
    • A92 Electric utility charges
    • A94 Transit charges
    • B46 Federal aid
    • B50 Federal aid
    • B89 Federal aid
    • B92 Federal aid
    • B94 Federal aid
    • C30 State aid
    • C46 State aid
    • C89 State aid
    • C92 State aid
    • C94 State aid
    • D30 Local government aid
    • D80 Local government aid
    • D89 Local government aid
    • D92 Local government aid
    • T01 Property tax
    • T09 General sales tax
    • T28 Licenses & permits
    • T99 Other taxes
    • U01 Special assessments
    • U11 Sale of property
    • U20 Interest earnings
    • U40 Rents
    • U50 Private donations
    • U99 Miscellaneous

  4. 4Source file

What the numbers mean

  • Fort Collins runs city-owned utilities, which add 30.5% 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
  • Fort Collins relies on sales tax more than most Colorado municipalities. Tourism and regional retail can raise sales tax per resident because non-residents pay it.
  • Part of Fort Collins'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 Fort Collins; the gold tick is the peer median. How categories work

Regional hub: sales tax per resident is 1.6× 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: $1,420 per resident, 2.8× the peer median. On the revenue side, utility & transit charges is 4.1× peers.

Money in

Revenue

$2,943
per resident44% above peers
Money in: Fort Collins revenue per resident by category, FY2016, against the peer median. Open a category for its lines and Census item codes.
CategoryPer residentvs peers
$90128% abovepeers $706
$8974.1×peers $220
$42442% abovepeers $299
$31351% abovepeers $207
$22820% abovepeers $190
$1527% abovepeers $143
$2977% belowpeers $126
Peer median of 5 peers · Colorado median of 224 reporting

Money out

Spending

$3,038
per resident54% above peers
Money out: Fort Collins spending per resident by category, FY2016, against the peer median. Open a category for its lines and Census item codes.
CategoryPer residentvs peers
$1,4202.8×peers $499
$5763.6×peers $158
$424in line withpeers $411
$2886% abovepeers $272
$23557% belowpeers $543
$407% belowpeers $44
$3983.7×peers $0
$16No peer comparisonpeers $0
Peer median of 5 peers · Colorado median of 196 reporting

Fort Collins 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
Fort Collins compared with its peer municipalities, FY2016, per resident
MunicipalityRevenueExpendituresTax revenueSales taxDebt
Fort CollinsUtilities: City-owned utilities (water, electric, gas, transit) brought in 30.5% 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.Regional hub: Sales tax per resident is 1.6× the Colorado median.$2,943$3,038$1,082$901$624
LakewoodUtilities: City-owned utilities (water, electric, gas, transit) brought in 0.5% 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.$1,446$1,399$902$568$164
ThorntonUtilities: City-owned utilities (water, electric, gas, transit) brought in 12.7% 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.$1,721$1,634$903$704$482
GreeleyUtilities: City-owned utilities (water, electric, gas, transit) brought in 25.3% 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.$2,037$1,978$955$706$1,304
BoulderUtilities: City-owned utilities (water, electric, gas, transit) brought in 6.2% 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.Regional hub: Sales tax per resident is 2.2× the Colorado median.$3,546$3,351$1,903$1,211$1,161
WestminsterUtilities: City-owned utilities (water, electric, gas, transit) brought in 13.1% 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.Regional hub: Sales tax per resident is 1.6× the Colorado median.$2,451$2,457$1,154$888$2,610
Peer median$2,037$1,978$955$706$1,161

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 $2,943 to FY2023 $3,462.$0$2K$4K’16’17’18’19’20’21’22’23Peer median FY2016: $2,037Peer median FY2017: $1,968Peer median FY2018: $2,159Peer median FY2019: $2,530Peer median FY2020: $2,485Peer median FY2021: $2,522Peer median FY2022: $2,967Peer median FY2023: $3,027Colorado median FY2016: $1,746 (all 224 municipalities reporting)Colorado median FY2021: $2,476 (all 227 municipalities reporting)FY2016: $2,943FY2017: $2,981FY2018: $4,033FY2019: $3,797FY2020: $3,180FY2021: $3,396FY2022: $3,641FY2023: $3,462

Fiscal year · nominal dollars, not adjusted for inflation

Show data table
Revenue per resident by fiscal year
YearThis cityPeer medianColorado median
FY2016$2,943$2,037$1,746 (224 reporting)
FY2017$2,981$1,968$2,694 (35 reporting, sample year)
FY2018$4,033$2,159$2,529 (75 reporting, sample year)
FY2019$3,797$2,530$2,694 (73 reporting, sample year)
FY2020$3,180$2,485$2,739 (76 reporting, sample year)
FY2021$3,396$2,522$2,476 (227 reporting)
FY2022$3,641$2,967$3,031 (72 reporting, sample year)
FY2023$3,462$3,027$3,580 (97 reporting, sample year)
Expenditures per resident
FY2016 $3,038 to FY2023 $4,719.$0$2.4K$4.7K’16’17’18’19’20’21’22’23Peer median FY2016: $1,978Peer median FY2017: $1,985Peer median FY2018: $2,055Peer median FY2019: $2,312Peer median FY2020: $2,385Peer median FY2021: $2,404Peer median FY2022: $2,460Peer median FY2023: $2,762Colorado median FY2016: $1,749 (all 224 municipalities reporting)Colorado median FY2021: $2,208 (all 227 municipalities reporting)FY2016: $3,038FY2017: $3,117FY2018: $4,614FY2019: $4,519FY2020: $4,225FY2021: $4,233FY2022: $4,617. Excludes equipment purchases and payments to other governments, which Census stopped reporting after FY2021.FY2023: $4,719. 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$3,038$1,978$1,749 (196 reporting)
FY2017$3,117$1,985$2,663 (35 reporting, sample year)
FY2018$4,614$2,055$2,387 (74 reporting, sample year)
FY2019$4,519$2,312$2,759 (71 reporting, sample year)
FY2020$4,225$2,385$2,485 (74 reporting, sample year)
FY2021$4,233$2,404$2,208 (220 reporting)
FY2022$4,617$2,460$3,025 (71 reporting, sample year)
FY2023$4,719$2,762$3,680 (91 reporting, sample year)
Tax revenue per resident
FY2016 $1,082 to FY2023 $1,367.$0$740.6$1.5K’16’17’18’19’20’21’22’23Peer median FY2016: $955Peer median FY2017: $1,101Peer median FY2018: $1,099Peer median FY2019: $1,181Peer median FY2020: $1,174Peer median FY2021: $1,290Peer median FY2022: $1,427Peer median FY2023: $1,481Colorado median FY2016: $705 (all 224 municipalities reporting)Colorado median FY2021: $1,072 (all 227 municipalities reporting)FY2016: $1,082FY2017: $1,118FY2018: $1,039FY2019: $1,131FY2020: $1,093FY2021: $1,276FY2022: $1,382FY2023: $1,367

Fiscal year · nominal dollars, not adjusted for inflation

Show data table
Tax revenue per resident by fiscal year
YearThis cityPeer medianColorado median
FY2016$1,082$955$705 (193 reporting)
FY2017$1,118$1,101$1,098 (34 reporting, sample year)
FY2018$1,039$1,099$1,173 (70 reporting, sample year)
FY2019$1,131$1,181$1,187 (71 reporting, sample year)
FY2020$1,093$1,174$1,238 (72 reporting, sample year)
FY2021$1,276$1,290$1,072 (201 reporting)
FY2022$1,382$1,427$1,631 (71 reporting, sample year)
FY2023$1,367$1,481$1,726 (90 reporting, sample year)
Debt per resident
FY2016 $624 to FY2023 $1,117.$0$1.1K$2.1K’16’17’18’19’20’21’22’23Peer median FY2016: $1,161Peer median FY2017: $972Peer median FY2018: $1,540Peer median FY2019: $1,207Peer median FY2020: $1,314Peer median FY2021: $1,753Peer median FY2022: $2,138Peer median FY2023: $1,889Colorado median FY2016: $1,072 (all 224 municipalities reporting)Colorado median FY2021: $1,411 (all 227 municipalities reporting)FY2016: $624FY2017: $518FY2018: $1,270FY2019: $1,457FY2020: $1,345FY2021: $1,324FY2022: $1,242FY2023: $1,117

Fiscal year · nominal dollars, not adjusted for inflation

Show data table
Debt per resident by fiscal year
YearThis cityPeer medianColorado median
FY2016$624$1,161$1,072 (220 reporting)
FY2017$518$972$1,482 (34 reporting, sample year)
FY2018$1,270$1,540$1,644 (70 reporting, sample year)
FY2019$1,457$1,207$1,627 (69 reporting, sample year)
FY2020$1,345$1,314$1,798 (71 reporting, sample year)
FY2021$1,324$1,753$1,411 (199 reporting)
FY2022$1,242$2,138$2,068 (73 reporting, sample year)
FY2023$1,117$1,889$2,130 (91 reporting, sample year)

Questions about Fort Collins’s finances

How much revenue does Fort Collins collect per resident?
Fort Collins collected $2,943 per resident in FY2016, 69% above the median of the 224 Colorado municipalities reporting that year. See the figure
How does Fort Collins's spending per resident compare with similar cities?
Fort Collins spent $3,038 per resident in FY2016, 54% above the median of its peers: Lakewood, Thornton, Greeley, Boulder and Westminster. See the figure
How much debt does Fort Collins have per resident?
Fort Collins carried $624 of debt per resident in FY2016, 46% below its peers' median. See the figure
Which cities is Fort Collins compared with?
Fort Collins is compared with Lakewood, Thornton, Greeley, Boulder and Westminster: 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)
+2.0%/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 Northern Front Range

Revenue per resident, latest published year.

Sources

Dataset: Fort Collins, 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 Fort Collins’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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