Orivian

Golden · FY2021 municipal finance benchmarks

Jefferson County · Denver Metro · home rule municipality · Pop. 20,390 (2025 estimate); FY2021 per-resident figures use 20,704 · 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 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

FY2021 in brief

Golden collected $3,282 per resident (including city-run utilities), 33% above the median of the 227 Colorado municipalities reporting that year, 18% above its peers. Tax revenue per resident sits 22% above its peers, and 75% above the state median. Debt per resident runs 66% 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)

$3,282
18% above peers
Includes city-owned utilities
Peer median
$2,786
CO median · 227 with a published figure
$2,476
Position
Higher than 69% of the 227 reporting
5-year changenominal dollars
−0.5%/yr
How Colorado compares on revenue per resident

Expenditures per resident (definition)

$3,075
31% above peers
Includes city-owned utilities
Peer median
$2,342
CO median · 220 with a published figure
$2,208
Position
Higher than 70% of the 220 reporting
5-year changenominal dollars
−0.9%/yr

Tax revenue per resident (definition)

$1,878
22% above peers
Peer median
$1,535
CO median · 201 with a published figure
$1,072
Position
Higher than 78% of the 201 reporting
5-year changenominal dollars
+5.4%/yr

Debt per resident (definition)

$987
66% below peers
Peer median
$2,911
CO median · 199 with a published figure
$1,411
Position
Higher than 38% of the 199 reporting
5-year changenominal dollars
−3.0%/yr
How Colorado compares on debt per resident

How this number was calculated

Revenue per resident · $3,282
Reported by the city to the Census Bureau

  1. 1Metric

    $3,282 Total revenue divided by population

    = Total revenue ÷ population

    Full definition: Revenue per resident

  2. 2Inputs

    Total revenue $68M ÷ population 20,704 (2021 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
    • B89 Federal aid
    • C89 State 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
    • T24 Licenses & permits
    • T28 Licenses & permits
    • T29 Licenses & permits
    • 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 9.8% 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 Golden; the gold tick is the peer median. How categories work

The biggest difference from peers is Parks, libraries & community: $610 per resident, 2.8× the peer median. On the revenue side, sales tax is 60% above peers.

Money in

Revenue

$3,282
per resident18% above peers
Money in: Golden revenue per resident by category, FY2021, against the peer median. Open a category for its lines and Census item codes.
CategoryPer residentvs peers
$1,24360% abovepeers $778
$6972.0×peers $341
$4309% belowpeers $475
$32122% belowpeers $411
$2408% belowpeers $260
$20587% abovepeers $110
$14719% belowpeers $183
Peer median of 5 peers · Colorado median of 227 reporting

Money out

Spending

$3,075
per resident31% above peers
Money out: Golden spending per resident by category, FY2021, against the peer median. Open a category for its lines and Census item codes.
CategoryPer residentvs peers
$77333% abovepeers $583
$6562.2×peers $296
$6102.8×peers $220
$48632% belowpeers $713
$4583.2×peers $145
$37No peer comparisonpeers $0
$3333.1×peers $1
$2376% belowpeers $96
Peer median of 4 peers · Colorado median of 220 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, FY2021. How peers are chosen

Open in Compare
Golden compared with its peer municipalities, FY2021, per resident
MunicipalityRevenueExpendituresTax revenueSales taxDebt
GoldenUtilities: City-owned utilities (water, electric, gas, transit) brought in 9.8% 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.$3,282$3,075$1,878$1,243$987
LouisvilleUtilities: City-owned utilities (water, electric, gas, transit) brought in 13.8% 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.$3,177$2,663$1,821$1,176$2,911
EvansUtilities: City-owned utilities (water, electric, gas, transit) brought in 19.1% 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.$1,766$1,681$798$649$1,939
LafayetteUtilities: City-owned utilities (water, electric, gas, transit) brought in 15.1% 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.$2,720$2,021$1,145$778$2,022
JohnstownUtilities: City-owned utilities (water, electric, gas, transit) brought in 7.5% 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.$3,601$1,563$902$3,105
FirestoneUtilities: City-owned utilities (water, electric, gas, transit) brought in 16.8% 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.$2,786$3,903$1,535$758$4,612
Peer median$2,786$2,342$1,535$778$2,911

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 $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 $3,282 per resident in FY2021, 33% above the median of the 227 Colorado municipalities reporting that year. See the figure
How does Golden's spending per resident compare with similar cities?
Golden spent $3,075 per resident in FY2021, 31% above the median of its peers: Louisville, Evans, Lafayette, Johnstown and Firestone. See the figure
How much debt does Golden have per resident?
Golden carried $987 of debt per resident in FY2021, 66% below its peers' median. See the figure
Which cities is Golden compared with?
Golden is compared with Louisville, Evans, Lafayette, Johnstown and Firestone: 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)
+0.6%/yr
2021 estimate
Median household income
$84K
2021 estimate
Poverty rate
11.4%
2021 estimate
Median home value
$579.8K
2021 estimate
Housing vacancy rate
3.9%
2021 estimate

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

Parks, libraries & community is Golden’s largest difference from its peers (2.8× the peer median in FY2021). See how that line moves month to month in your own budget-vs-actual.

Orivian applies the same sourced, governed approach to your city's own budget-vs-actual data.

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