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Fort Collins · FY2021 municipal finance benchmarks

Larimer County · Northern Front Range · home rule municipality · Pop. 171,500 (2025 estimate); FY2021 per-resident figures use 169,303 · Census finance data FY2016–FY2023

You’re viewing FY2021. 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?

City website (opens in a new tab)Financial reports (opens in a new tab)

Compare

FY2021 in brief

Fort Collins collected $3,396 per resident (including city-run utilities), 37% above the median of the 227 Colorado municipalities reporting that year. Tax revenue per resident sits in line with its peers, but 19% above the state median. Debt per resident runs 24% below 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)

$3,396
35% above peers
Includes city-owned utilities
Peer median
$2,522
CO median · 227 with a published figure
$2,476
Position
Higher than 71% of the 227 reporting
5-year changenominal dollars
+2.9%/yr
How Colorado compares on revenue per resident

Expenditures per resident (definition)

$4,233
76% above peers
Includes city-owned utilities
Peer median
$2,404
CO median · 220 with a published figure
$2,208
Position
Higher than 83% of the 220 reporting
5-year changenominal dollars
+6.9%/yr

Tax revenue per resident (definition)

$1,276
in line with peers
Peer median
$1,290
CO median · 201 with a published figure
$1,072
Position
Higher than 59% of the 201 reporting
5-year changenominal dollars
+3.4%/yr

Debt per resident (definition)

$1,324
24% below peers
Peer median
$1,753
CO median · 199 with a published figure
$1,411
Position
Higher than 47% of the 199 reporting
5-year changenominal dollars
+16.3%/yr
How Colorado compares on debt per resident

How this number was calculated

Revenue per resident · $3,396
Reported by the city to the Census Bureau

  1. 1Metric

    $3,396 Total revenue divided by population

    = Total revenue ÷ population

    Full definition: Revenue per resident

  2. 2Inputs

    Total revenue $575M ÷ population 169,303 (2021 estimate)

  3. 3Census line items

    • A03 Commercial activities (other) charges
    • A44 Streets & highways charges
    • A50 Housing & community development charges
    • A59 Natural resources 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
    • B89 Federal aid
    • C89 State aid
    • D89 Local government aid
    • T01 Property tax
    • T09 General sales tax
    • T19 Selective sales taxes (lodging, utilities, etc.)
    • T28 Licenses & permits
    • T29 Licenses & permits
    • T99 Other taxes
    • U99 Miscellaneous

  4. 4Source file

What the numbers mean

  • Fort Collins runs city-owned utilities, which add 33.2% 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

Where the money comes from and where it goes

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

The biggest difference from peers is Utilities & environment: $2,006 per resident, 3.3× the peer median. On the revenue side, utility & transit charges is 2.9× peers.

Money in

Revenue

$3,396
per resident35% above peers
Money in: Fort Collins revenue per resident by category, FY2021, against the peer median. Open a category for its lines and Census item codes.
CategoryPer residentvs peers
$1,1272.9×peers $385
$961in line withpeers $934
$47137% abovepeers $345
$4632.7×peers $175
$290in line withpeers $282
$5958% belowpeers $140
$2578% belowpeers $109
Peer median of 5 peers · Colorado median of 227 reporting

Money out

Spending

$4,233
per resident76% above peers
Money out: Fort Collins spending per resident by category, FY2021, against the peer median. Open a category for its lines and Census item codes.
CategoryPer residentvs peers
$2,0063.3×peers $601
$74877% abovepeers $422
$5022.4×peers $213
$465in line withpeers $489
$371in line withpeers $385
$93No peer comparisonpeers $0
$4434% belowpeers $67
$4No peer comparisonpeers $0
Peer median of 5 peers · Colorado median of 220 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, FY2021. How peers are chosen

Open in Compare
Fort Collins compared with its peer municipalities, FY2021, per resident
MunicipalityRevenueExpendituresTax revenueSales taxDebt
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
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
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
GreeleyUtilities: City-owned utilities (water, electric, gas, transit) brought in 18.3% 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.$2,500$2,536$1,252$932$1,370
WestminsterUtilities: City-owned utilities (water, electric, gas, transit) brought in 16.6% 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.$2,640$2,404$1,531$1,041$2,987
BoulderUtilities: City-owned utilities (water, electric, gas, transit) brought in 11.3% 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.$3,039$2,541$1,782$934$2,000
Peer median$2,522$2,404$1,290$934$1,753

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 $2,943 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 $3,396 per resident in FY2021, 37% above the median of the 227 Colorado municipalities reporting that year. See the figure
How does Fort Collins's spending per resident compare with similar cities?
Fort Collins spent $4,233 per resident in FY2021, 76% above the median of its peers: Thornton, Lakewood, Greeley, Westminster and Boulder. See the figure
How much debt does Fort Collins have per resident?
Fort Collins carried $1,324 of debt per resident in FY2021, 24% below its peers' median. See the figure
Which cities is Fort Collins compared with?
Fort Collins is compared with Thornton, Lakewood, Greeley, Westminster and Boulder: 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)
+0.8%/yr
2021 estimate
Median household income
$72.9K
2021 estimate
Poverty rate
15.7%
2021 estimate
Median home value
$431.3K
2021 estimate
Housing vacancy rate
4.2%
2021 estimate

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 (3.3× the peer median in FY2021). See how that line moves month to month in your own budget-vs-actual.

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