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Glenwood Springs · FY2021 municipal finance benchmarks

Garfield County · Western Slope · home rule municipality · Pop. 10,395 (2025 estimate); FY2021 per-resident figures use 10,352 · Census finance data FY2016, FY2018, FY2019, FY2020, FY2021, FY2022, FY2023

You’re viewing FY2021. See the latest view (FY2023). Latest Census Bureau finance data for Glenwood Springs: 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

Glenwood Springs collected $6,400 per resident (including city-run utilities), 2.6× the median of the 227 Colorado municipalities reporting that year. Tax revenue per resident sits 2.4× its peers, and 2.7× the state median. Debt per resident runs 3.0× peers.

Regional hub: sales tax per resident is 2.8× 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)

$6,400
2.7× peers
Includes city-owned utilities
Peer median
$2,408
CO median · 227 with a published figure
$2,476
Position
Higher than 91% of the 227 reporting
5-year changenominal dollars
+6.1%/yr
How Colorado compares on revenue per resident

Expenditures per resident (definition)

$6,064
2.6× peers
Includes city-owned utilities
Peer median
$2,370
CO median · 220 with a published figure
$2,208
Position
Higher than 91% of the 220 reporting
5-year changenominal dollars
−0.5%/yr

Tax revenue per resident (definition)

$2,856
2.4× peers
Peer median
$1,215
CO median · 201 with a published figure
$1,072
Position
Higher than 88% of the 201 reporting
5-year changenominal dollars
+6.1%/yr

Debt per resident (definition)

$5,718
3.0× peers
Peer median
$1,895
CO median · 199 with a published figure
$1,411
Position
Higher than 91% of the 199 reporting
5-year changenominal dollars
+6.8%/yr
How Colorado compares on debt per resident

How this number was calculated

Revenue per resident · $6,400
Reported by the city to the Census Bureau

  1. 1Metric

    $6,400 Total revenue divided by population

    = Total revenue ÷ population

    Full definition: Revenue per resident

  2. 2Inputs

    Total revenue $66.2M ÷ population 10,352 (2021 estimate)

  3. 3Census line items

    • A01 Airport charges
    • A03 Commercial activities (other) charges
    • A61 Parks & recreation charges
    • A81 Solid waste charges
    • A89 General government (other) charges
    • A92 Electric utility charges
    • A94 Transit charges
    • 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
    • U01 Special assessments
    • U11 Sale of property
    • U20 Interest earnings
    • U30 Fines & forfeits
    • U50 Private donations
    • U99 Miscellaneous

  4. 4Source file

What the numbers mean

  • Glenwood Springs runs city-owned utilities, which add 22.0% 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
  • Debt per resident is 3.0× the peer median. One large bond issue can do this; check the city's annual financial report for what it funded.
  • Glenwood Springs 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 Glenwood Springs; the gold tick is the peer median. How categories work

Regional hub: sales tax per resident is 2.8× 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 Transportation: $1,826 per resident, 5.8× the peer median. On the revenue side, sales tax is 2.6× peers.

Money in

Revenue

$6,400
per resident2.7× peers
Money in: Glenwood Springs revenue per resident by category, FY2021, against the peer median. Open a category for its lines and Census item codes.
CategoryPer residentvs peers
$2,4132.6×peers $925
$1,4103.6×peers $392
$1,0424.1×peers $253
$66241% abovepeers $471
$42910.9×peers $39
$2352.6×peers $90
$2082.4×peers $87
Peer median of 5 peers · Colorado median of 227 reporting

Money out

Spending

$6,064
per resident2.6× peers
Money out: Glenwood Springs spending per resident by category, FY2021, against the peer median. Open a category for its lines and Census item codes.
CategoryPer residentvs peers
$1,8265.8×peers $316
$1,6303.2×peers $505
$8652.9×peers $301
$8234.1×peers $201
$6092.3×peers $267
$2054.9×peers $42
$106No peer comparisonpeers $0
Peer median of 5 peers · Colorado median of 220 reporting

Glenwood 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
Glenwood Springs compared with its peer municipalities, FY2021, per resident
MunicipalityRevenueExpendituresTax revenueSales taxDebt
Glenwood SpringsUtilities: City-owned utilities (water, electric, gas, transit) brought in 22.0% 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 2.8× the Colorado median.$6,400$6,064$2,856$2,413$5,718
RifleUtilities: City-owned utilities (water, electric, gas, transit) brought in 15.5% 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 1.5× the Colorado median.$2,773$2,460$1,472$1,301$3,076
Fruita$1,512$1,102$659$473$1,895
CraigUtilities: City-owned utilities (water, electric, gas, transit) brought in 15.2% 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.$2,577$2,384$1,386$925$665
DeltaUtilities: City-owned utilities (water, electric, gas, transit) brought in 39.0% 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.$2,408$2,370$1,031$987$2,066
GypsumUtilities: City-owned utilities (water, electric, gas, transit) brought in 6.2% 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.$2,252$1,221$1,215$849$471
Peer median$2,408$2,370$1,215$925$1,895

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 $4,750 to FY2023 $8,323.$0$4.2K$8.3K’16’18’19’20’21’22’23Peer median FY2016: $1,995Peer median FY2018: $2,119Peer median FY2019: $2,176Peer median FY2020: $2,146Peer median FY2021: $2,408Peer median FY2022: $2,261Peer median FY2023: $3,545Colorado median FY2016: $1,746 (all 224 municipalities reporting)Colorado median FY2021: $2,476 (all 227 municipalities reporting)FY2016: $4,750FY2018: $5,805FY2019: $6,039FY2020: $6,132FY2021: $6,400FY2022: $6,837FY2023: $8,323

Fiscal year · nominal dollars, not adjusted for inflation

Peer group changed in FY2018, FY2020, 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$4,750$1,995$1,746 (224 reporting)
FY2018$5,805$2,119$2,529 (75 reporting, sample year)
FY2019$6,039$2,176$2,694 (73 reporting, sample year)
FY2020$6,132$2,146$2,739 (76 reporting, sample year)
FY2021$6,400$2,408$2,476 (227 reporting)
FY2022$6,837$2,261$3,031 (72 reporting, sample year)
FY2023$8,323$3,545$3,580 (97 reporting, sample year)
Expenditures per resident
FY2016 $6,209 to FY2023 $8,073.$0$4K$8.1K’16’18’19’20’21’22’23Peer median FY2016: $2,079Peer median FY2018: $1,860Peer median FY2019: $1,987Peer median FY2020: $1,927Peer median FY2021: $2,370Peer median FY2022: $2,197Peer median FY2023: $2,979Colorado median FY2016: $1,749 (all 224 municipalities reporting)Colorado median FY2021: $2,208 (all 227 municipalities reporting)FY2016: $6,209FY2018: $5,490FY2019: $5,887FY2020: $6,040FY2021: $6,064FY2022: $7,885. Excludes equipment purchases and payments to other governments, which Census stopped reporting after FY2021.FY2023: $8,073. 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 FY2018, FY2020, 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$6,209$2,079$1,749 (196 reporting)
FY2018$5,490$1,860$2,387 (74 reporting, sample year)
FY2019$5,887$1,987$2,759 (71 reporting, sample year)
FY2020$6,040$1,927$2,485 (74 reporting, sample year)
FY2021$6,064$2,370$2,208 (220 reporting)
FY2022$7,885$2,197$3,025 (71 reporting, sample year)
FY2023$8,073$2,979$3,680 (91 reporting, sample year)
Tax revenue per resident
FY2016 $2,120 to FY2023 $3,584.$0$1.8K$3.6K’16’18’19’20’21’22’23Peer median FY2016: $768Peer median FY2018: $951Peer median FY2019: $1,057Peer median FY2020: $1,178Peer median FY2021: $1,215Peer median FY2022: $1,192Peer median FY2023: $1,676Colorado median FY2016: $705 (all 224 municipalities reporting)Colorado median FY2021: $1,072 (all 227 municipalities reporting)FY2016: $2,120FY2018: $2,269FY2019: $2,421FY2020: $2,558FY2021: $2,856FY2022: $3,052FY2023: $3,584

Fiscal year · nominal dollars, not adjusted for inflation

Peer group changed in FY2018, FY2020, 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$2,120$768$705 (193 reporting)
FY2018$2,269$951$1,173 (70 reporting, sample year)
FY2019$2,421$1,057$1,187 (71 reporting, sample year)
FY2020$2,558$1,178$1,238 (72 reporting, sample year)
FY2021$2,856$1,215$1,072 (201 reporting)
FY2022$3,052$1,192$1,631 (71 reporting, sample year)
FY2023$3,584$1,676$1,726 (90 reporting, sample year)
Debt per resident
FY2016 $4,122 to FY2023 $1,712.$0$2.9K$5.7K’16’18’19’20’21’22’23Peer median FY2016: $2,709Peer median FY2018: $2,834Peer median FY2019: $2,007Peer median FY2020: $2,042Peer median FY2021: $1,895Peer median FY2022: $1,761Peer median FY2023: $2,552Colorado median FY2016: $1,072 (all 224 municipalities reporting)Colorado median FY2021: $1,411 (all 227 municipalities reporting)FY2016: $4,122FY2018: $3,504FY2019: $3,062FY2020: $2,629FY2021: $5,718FY2022: $5,455FY2023: $1,712

Fiscal year · nominal dollars, not adjusted for inflation

Peer group changed in FY2018, FY2020, 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$4,122$2,709$1,072 (220 reporting)
FY2018$3,504$2,834$1,644 (70 reporting, sample year)
FY2019$3,062$2,007$1,627 (69 reporting, sample year)
FY2020$2,629$2,042$1,798 (71 reporting, sample year)
FY2021$5,718$1,895$1,411 (199 reporting)
FY2022$5,455$1,761$2,068 (73 reporting, sample year)
FY2023$1,712$2,552$2,130 (91 reporting, sample year)

Questions about Glenwood Springs’s finances

How much revenue does Glenwood Springs collect per resident?
Glenwood Springs collected $6,400 per resident in FY2021, 2.6× the median of the 227 Colorado municipalities reporting that year. See the figure
How does Glenwood Springs's spending per resident compare with similar cities?
Glenwood Springs spent $6,064 per resident in FY2021, 2.6× the median of its peers: Rifle, Fruita, Craig, Delta and Gypsum. See the figure
How much debt does Glenwood Springs have per resident?
Glenwood Springs carried $5,718 of debt per resident in FY2021, 3.0× its peers' median. See the figure
Which cities is Glenwood Springs compared with?
Glenwood Springs is compared with Rifle, Fruita, Craig, Delta and Gypsum: 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)
+0.7%/yr
2021 estimate
Median household income
$69.7K
2021 estimate
Poverty rate
9.0%
2021 estimate
Median home value
$465.6K
2021 estimate
Housing vacancy rate
11.6%
2021 estimate

Explore further

Also in Western Slope

Revenue per resident, latest published year.

Sources

Dataset: Glenwood 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

Transportation is Glenwood Springs’s largest difference from its peers (5.8× the peer median in FY2021). See how that line moves month to month in your own budget-vs-actual.

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