Orivian

Golden · FY2016 municipal finance benchmarks

Jefferson County · Denver Metro · home rule municipality · Pop. 20,390 (2025 estimate); FY2016 per-resident figures use 20,096 · Census finance data FY2016, FY2018, FY2019, FY2020, FY2021, FY2022, FY2023

You’re viewing FY2016. See the latest view (FY2023). Latest Census Bureau finance data for Golden: 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

FY2016 in brief

Golden collected $3,369 per resident (including city-run utilities), 93% above the median of the 224 Colorado municipalities reporting that year, 2.1× its peers. Tax revenue per resident sits 60% above its peers, and 2.0× the state median. Debt per resident runs 2.6× 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)

$3,369
2.1× peers
Includes city-owned utilities
Peer median
$1,605
CO median · 224 with a published figure
$1,746
Position
Higher than 81% 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)

$3,223
2.2× peers
Includes city-owned utilities
Peer median
$1,460
CO median · 196 with a published figure
$1,749
Position
Higher than 77% of the 196 reporting
5-year changenominal dollars
Not enough history for a 5-year change

Tax revenue per resident (definition)

$1,445
60% above peers
Peer median
$905
CO median · 193 with a published figure
$705
Position
Higher than 84% of the 193 reporting
5-year changenominal dollars
Not enough history for a 5-year change

Debt per resident (definition)

$1,148
2.6× peers
Peer median
$441
CO median · 220 with a published figure
$1,072
Position
Higher than 53% 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 · $3,369
Reported by the city to the Census Bureau

  1. 1Metric

    $3,369 Total revenue divided by population

    = Total revenue ÷ population

    Full definition: Revenue per resident

  2. 2Inputs

    Total revenue $67.7M ÷ population 20,096 (2016 estimate)

  3. 3Census line items

    • A03 Commercial activities (other) charges
    • A50 Housing & community development charges
    • A61 Parks & recreation charges
    • A80 Sewer charges
    • A81 Solid waste charges
    • A89 General government (other) charges
    • A91 Water utility charges
    • C30 State aid
    • C46 State aid
    • C89 State aid
    • D46 Local government aid
    • D50 Local government aid
    • D89 Local government aid
    • T01 Property tax
    • T09 General sales tax
    • T15 Selective sales taxes (lodging, utilities, etc.)
    • T19 Selective sales taxes (lodging, utilities, etc.)
    • T20 Licenses & permits
    • T21 Licenses & permits
    • T24 Licenses & permits
    • T28 Licenses & permits
    • T29 Licenses & permits
    • U01 Special assessments
    • U11 Sale of property
    • U20 Interest earnings
    • U30 Fines & forfeits
    • U40 Rents
    • U50 Private donations
    • U99 Miscellaneous

  4. 4Source file

What the numbers mean

  • Golden runs city-owned utilities, which add 9.2% 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
  • Debt per resident is 2.6× the peer median. One large bond issue can do this; check the city's annual financial report for what it funded.

Where the money comes from and where it goes

Per resident, FY2016. Bars show Golden; 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 Transportation: $1,056 per resident, 6.8× the peer median. On the revenue side, intergovernmental is 10.8× peers.

Money in

Revenue

$3,369
per resident2.1× peers
Money in: Golden revenue per resident by category, FY2016, against the peer median. Open a category for its lines and Census item codes.
CategoryPer residentvs peers
$90287% abovepeers $483
$74710.8×peers $69
$6462.2×peers $297
$35945% abovepeers $247
$30922% abovepeers $253
$22228% belowpeers $307
$18339% abovepeers $132
Peer median of 5 peers · Colorado median of 224 reporting

Money out

Spending

$3,223
per resident2.2× peers
Money out: Golden spending per resident by category, FY2016, against the peer median. Open a category for its lines and Census item codes.
CategoryPer residentvs peers
$1,0566.8×peers $156
$54930% abovepeers $422
$53291% abovepeers $278
$52835% abovepeers $390
$50382% abovepeers $277
$255.8×peers $4
$23No peer comparisonpeers $0
$675% belowpeers $23
Peer median of 5 peers · Colorado median of 196 reporting

Golden 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
Golden compared with its peer municipalities, FY2016, per resident
MunicipalityRevenueExpendituresTax revenueSales taxDebt
GoldenUtilities: City-owned utilities (water, electric, gas, transit) brought in 9.2% 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 1.6× the Colorado median.$3,369$3,223$1,445$902$1,148
LouisvilleUtilities: City-owned utilities (water, electric, gas, transit) brought in 22.2% 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 1.6× the Colorado median.$2,989$3,686$1,327$904$360
EvansUtilities: City-owned utilities (water, electric, gas, transit) brought in 15.8% 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.$1,605$1,198$630$406Not reported for this year
LafayetteUtilities: City-owned utilities (water, electric, gas, transit) brought in 13.7% 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.$2,279$1,744$913$483$1,071
WindsorUtilities: City-owned utilities (water, electric, gas, transit) brought in 13.9% 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.$1,602$1,460$705$334$522
Wheat Ridge$1,072$1,418$905$748$2
Peer median$1,605$1,460$905$483$441

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 $3,369 to FY2023 $2,918.$0$1.9K$3.8K’16’18’19’20’21’22’23Peer median FY2016: $1,605Peer median FY2018: $2,474Peer median FY2019: $2,539Peer median FY2020: $2,410Peer median FY2021: $2,786Peer median FY2022: $2,725Peer median FY2023: $3,162Colorado median FY2016: $1,746 (all 224 municipalities reporting)Colorado median FY2021: $2,476 (all 227 municipalities reporting)FY2016: $3,369FY2018: $2,763FY2019: $3,131FY2020: $3,021FY2021: $3,282FY2022: $3,751FY2023: $2,918

Fiscal year · nominal dollars, not adjusted for inflation

Peer group changed in FY2020, 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$3,369$1,605$1,746 (224 reporting)
FY2018$2,763$2,474$2,529 (75 reporting, sample year)
FY2019$3,131$2,539$2,694 (73 reporting, sample year)
FY2020$3,021$2,410$2,739 (76 reporting, sample year)
FY2021$3,282$2,786$2,476 (227 reporting)
FY2022$3,751$2,725$3,031 (72 reporting, sample year)
FY2023$2,918$3,162$3,580 (97 reporting, sample year)
Expenditures per resident
FY2016 $3,223 to FY2023 $3,623.$0$1.8K$3.6K’16’18’19’20’21’22’23Peer median FY2016: $1,460Peer median FY2018: $2,068Peer median FY2019: $2,154Peer median FY2020: $2,495Peer median FY2021: $2,342Peer median FY2022: $2,793Peer median FY2023: $3,015Colorado median FY2016: $1,749 (all 224 municipalities reporting)Colorado median FY2021: $2,208 (all 227 municipalities reporting)FY2016: $3,223FY2018: $2,418FY2019: $3,369FY2020: $2,604FY2021: $3,075FY2022: $3,114. Excludes equipment purchases and payments to other governments, which Census stopped reporting after FY2021.FY2023: $3,623. 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 FY2020, 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$3,223$1,460$1,749 (196 reporting)
FY2018$2,418$2,068$2,387 (74 reporting, sample year)
FY2019$3,369$2,154$2,759 (71 reporting, sample year)
FY2020$2,604$2,495$2,485 (74 reporting, sample year)
FY2021$3,075$2,342$2,208 (220 reporting)
FY2022$3,114$2,793$3,025 (71 reporting, sample year)
FY2023$3,623$3,015$3,680 (91 reporting, sample year)
Tax revenue per resident
FY2016 $1,445 to FY2023 $1,131.$0$1.1K$2.1K’16’18’19’20’21’22’23Peer median FY2016: $905Peer median FY2018: $1,207Peer median FY2019: $1,187Peer median FY2020: $1,580Peer median FY2021: $1,535Peer median FY2022: $1,631Peer median FY2023: $1,945Colorado median FY2016: $705 (all 224 municipalities reporting)Colorado median FY2021: $1,072 (all 227 municipalities reporting)FY2016: $1,445FY2018: $1,515FY2019: $1,691FY2020: $1,645FY2021: $1,878FY2022: $2,150FY2023: $1,131

Fiscal year · nominal dollars, not adjusted for inflation

Peer group changed in FY2020, 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$1,445$905$705 (193 reporting)
FY2018$1,515$1,207$1,173 (70 reporting, sample year)
FY2019$1,691$1,187$1,187 (71 reporting, sample year)
FY2020$1,645$1,580$1,238 (72 reporting, sample year)
FY2021$1,878$1,535$1,072 (201 reporting)
FY2022$2,150$1,631$1,631 (71 reporting, sample year)
FY2023$1,131$1,945$1,726 (90 reporting, sample year)
Debt per resident
FY2016 $1,148 to FY2023 $713.$0$1.5K$2.9K’16’18’19’20’21’22’23Peer median FY2016: $441Peer median FY2018: $1,187Peer median FY2019: $1,026Peer median FY2020: $1,678Peer median FY2021: $2,911Peer median FY2022: $2,052Peer median FY2023: $1,856Colorado median FY2016: $1,072 (all 224 municipalities reporting)Colorado median FY2021: $1,411 (all 227 municipalities reporting)FY2016: $1,148FY2018: $760FY2019: $1,311FY2020: $1,132FY2021: $987FY2022: $847FY2023: $713

Fiscal year · nominal dollars, not adjusted for inflation

Peer group changed in FY2018, FY2020, 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$1,148$441$1,072 (220 reporting)
FY2018$760$1,187$1,644 (70 reporting, sample year)
FY2019$1,311$1,026$1,627 (69 reporting, sample year)
FY2020$1,132$1,678$1,798 (71 reporting, sample year)
FY2021$987$2,911$1,411 (199 reporting)
FY2022$847$2,052$2,068 (73 reporting, sample year)
FY2023$713$1,856$2,130 (91 reporting, sample year)

Questions about Golden’s finances

How much revenue does Golden collect per resident?
Golden collected $3,369 per resident in FY2016, 93% above the median of the 224 Colorado municipalities reporting that year. See the figure
How does Golden's spending per resident compare with similar cities?
Golden spent $3,223 per resident in FY2016, 2.2× the median of its peers: Louisville, Evans, Lafayette, Windsor and Wheat Ridge. See the figure
How much debt does Golden have per resident?
Golden carried $1,148 of debt per resident in FY2016, 2.6× its peers' median. See the figure
Which cities is Golden compared with?
Golden is compared with Louisville, Evans, Lafayette, Windsor and Wheat Ridge: 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
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 Denver Metro

Revenue per resident, latest published year.

Sources

Dataset: Golden, 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 Golden’s largest difference from its peers (6.8× the peer median in FY2016). See how that line moves month to month in your own budget-vs-actual.

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