Orivian

Grand Junction · FY2021 municipal finance benchmarks

Mesa County · Western Slope · home rule municipality · Pop. 71,827 (2025 estimate); FY2021 per-resident figures use 66,921 · Census finance data FY2016–FY2023

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

Grand Junction collected $2,774 per resident (including city-run utilities), 12% above the median of the 227 Colorado municipalities reporting that year. Tax revenue per resident sits 6% below its peers, but 29% above the state median. Debt per resident runs 19% above 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)

$2,774
16% above peers
Includes city-owned utilities
Peer median
$2,394
CO median · 227 with a published figure
$2,476
Position
Higher than 59% of the 227 reporting
5-year changenominal dollars
+6.2%/yr
How Colorado compares on revenue per resident

Expenditures per resident (definition)

$2,775
17% above peers
Includes city-owned utilities
Peer median
$2,382
CO median · 220 with a published figure
$2,208
Position
Higher than 66% of the 220 reporting
5-year changenominal dollars
+3.7%/yr

Tax revenue per resident (definition)

$1,379
6% below peers
Peer median
$1,465
CO median · 201 with a published figure
$1,072
Position
Higher than 64% of the 201 reporting
5-year changenominal dollars
+7.4%/yr

Debt per resident (definition)

$2,246
19% above peers
Peer median
$1,895
CO median · 199 with a published figure
$1,411
Position
Higher than 69% of the 199 reporting
5-year changenominal dollars
+8.7%/yr
How Colorado compares on debt per resident

How this number was calculated

Revenue per resident · $2,774
Reported by the city to the Census Bureau

  1. 1Metric

    $2,774 Total revenue divided by population

    = Total revenue ÷ population

    Full definition: Revenue per resident

  2. 2Inputs

    Total revenue $185.6M ÷ population 66,921 (2021 estimate)

  3. 3Census line items

    • A60 Parking 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
    • T10 Selective sales taxes (lodging, utilities, etc.)
    • T15 Selective sales taxes (lodging, utilities, etc.)
    • T19 Selective sales taxes (lodging, utilities, etc.)
    • T24 Licenses & permits
    • T29 Licenses & permits
    • U01 Special assessments
    • U11 Sale of property
    • U20 Interest earnings
    • U30 Fines & forfeits
    • U40 Rents
    • U99 Miscellaneous

  4. 4Source file

What the numbers mean

  • Grand Junction runs city-owned utilities, which add 4.6% 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 Grand Junction; the gold tick is the peer median. How categories work

The biggest difference from peers is Public safety: $893 per resident, 82% above the peer median. On the revenue side, fees & charges is 74% above peers.

Money in

Revenue

$2,774
per resident16% above peers
Money in: Grand Junction revenue per resident by category, FY2021, against the peer median. Open a category for its lines and Census item codes.
CategoryPer residentvs peers
$1,086in line withpeers $1,143
$70174% abovepeers $402
$29222% abovepeers $240
$2743.2×peers $85
$17710% abovepeers $161
$12818% belowpeers $156
$1165% belowpeers $122
Peer median of 4 peers · Colorado median of 227 reporting

Money out

Spending

$2,775
per resident17% above peers
Money out: Grand Junction spending per resident by category, FY2021, against the peer median. Open a category for its lines and Census item codes.
CategoryPer residentvs peers
$89382% abovepeers $491
$7099% abovepeers $650
$46899% abovepeers $235
$36029% abovepeers $279
$28216% belowpeers $334
$6427% abovepeers $51
None reported · peers $9$0None reported
Peer median of 5 peers · Colorado median of 220 reporting

Grand Junction 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
Grand Junction compared with its peer municipalities, FY2021, per resident
MunicipalityRevenueExpendituresTax revenueSales taxDebt
Grand JunctionUtilities: City-owned utilities (water, electric, gas, transit) brought in 4.6% 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.$2,774$2,775$1,379$1,086$2,246
MontroseUtilities: City-owned utilities (water, electric, gas, transit) brought in 13.2% 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.Regional hub: Sales tax per resident is 1.6× the Colorado median.$2,356$2,382$1,512$1,424$1,228
LovelandUtilities: City-owned utilities (water, electric, gas, transit) brought in 31.4% 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.$4,635$5,772$1,418$862$2,577
Commerce CityRegional hub: Sales tax per resident is 1.8× the Colorado median.$2,433$1,998$1,913$1,545$4,203
Fruita$1,512$1,102$659$473$1,895
Peer median$2,394$2,382$1,465$1,143$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 $2,053 to FY2023 $3,031.$0$2.2K$4.4K’16’17’18’19’20’21’22’23Peer median FY2016: $1,905Peer median FY2017: $2,694Peer median FY2018: $2,488Peer median FY2019: $2,128Peer median FY2020: $2,654Peer median FY2021: $2,394Peer median FY2022: $2,423Peer median FY2023: $4,395Colorado median FY2016: $1,746 (all 224 municipalities reporting)Colorado median FY2021: $2,476 (all 227 municipalities reporting)FY2016: $2,053FY2017: $2,065FY2018: $2,247FY2019: $2,424FY2020: $2,480FY2021: $2,774FY2022: $2,820FY2023: $3,031

Fiscal year · nominal dollars, not adjusted for inflation

Peer group changed in FY2017, FY2018, FY2021, 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$2,053$1,905$1,746 (224 reporting)
FY2017$2,065$2,694$2,694 (35 reporting, sample year)
FY2018$2,247$2,488$2,529 (75 reporting, sample year)
FY2019$2,424$2,128$2,694 (73 reporting, sample year)
FY2020$2,480$2,654$2,739 (76 reporting, sample year)
FY2021$2,774$2,394$2,476 (227 reporting)
FY2022$2,820$2,423$3,031 (72 reporting, sample year)
FY2023$3,031$4,395$3,580 (97 reporting, sample year)
Expenditures per resident
FY2016 $2,319 to FY2023 $3,478.$0$2.5K$5.1K’16’17’18’19’20’21’22’23Peer median FY2016: $1,925Peer median FY2017: $2,678Peer median FY2018: $3,098Peer median FY2019: $3,142Peer median FY2020: $2,968Peer median FY2021: $2,382Peer median FY2022: $2,558Peer median FY2023: $5,084Colorado median FY2016: $1,749 (all 224 municipalities reporting)Colorado median FY2021: $2,208 (all 227 municipalities reporting)FY2016: $2,319FY2017: $2,333FY2018: $2,357FY2019: $2,830FY2020: $2,473FY2021: $2,775FY2022: $3,135. Excludes equipment purchases and payments to other governments, which Census stopped reporting after FY2021.FY2023: $3,478. 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 FY2017, FY2018, FY2023. 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$2,319$1,925$1,749 (196 reporting)
FY2017$2,333$2,678$2,663 (35 reporting, sample year)
FY2018$2,357$3,098$2,387 (74 reporting, sample year)
FY2019$2,830$3,142$2,759 (71 reporting, sample year)
FY2020$2,473$2,968$2,485 (74 reporting, sample year)
FY2021$2,775$2,382$2,208 (220 reporting)
FY2022$3,135$2,558$3,025 (71 reporting, sample year)
FY2023$3,478$5,084$3,680 (91 reporting, sample year)
Tax revenue per resident
FY2016 $964 to FY2023 $1,474.$0$933.5$1.9K’16’17’18’19’20’21’22’23Peer median FY2016: $1,073Peer median FY2017: $1,644Peer median FY2018: $1,237Peer median FY2019: $1,293Peer median FY2020: $1,315Peer median FY2021: $1,465Peer median FY2022: $1,631Peer median FY2023: $1,867Colorado median FY2016: $705 (all 224 municipalities reporting)Colorado median FY2021: $1,072 (all 227 municipalities reporting)FY2016: $964FY2017: $1,004FY2018: $1,047FY2019: $1,081FY2020: $1,160FY2021: $1,379FY2022: $1,478FY2023: $1,474

Fiscal year · nominal dollars, not adjusted for inflation

Peer group changed in FY2017, FY2018, FY2021, 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$964$1,073$705 (193 reporting)
FY2017$1,004$1,644$1,098 (34 reporting, sample year)
FY2018$1,047$1,237$1,173 (70 reporting, sample year)
FY2019$1,081$1,293$1,187 (71 reporting, sample year)
FY2020$1,160$1,315$1,238 (72 reporting, sample year)
FY2021$1,379$1,465$1,072 (201 reporting)
FY2022$1,478$1,631$1,631 (71 reporting, sample year)
FY2023$1,474$1,867$1,726 (90 reporting, sample year)
Debt per resident
FY2016 $1,479 to FY2023 $2,040.$0$1.4K$2.8K’16’17’18’19’20’21’22’23Peer median FY2016: $1,484Peer median FY2017: $2,542Peer median FY2018: $2,148Peer median FY2019: $2,007Peer median FY2020: $2,042Peer median FY2021: $1,895Peer median FY2022: $1,761Peer median FY2023: $2,810Colorado median FY2016: $1,072 (all 224 municipalities reporting)Colorado median FY2021: $1,411 (all 227 municipalities reporting)FY2016: $1,479FY2017: $1,446FY2018: $1,464FY2019: $1,280FY2020: $1,880FY2021: $2,246FY2022: $2,152FY2023: $2,040

Fiscal year · nominal dollars, not adjusted for inflation

Peer group changed in FY2017, FY2018, 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$1,479$1,484$1,072 (220 reporting)
FY2017$1,446$2,542$1,482 (34 reporting, sample year)
FY2018$1,464$2,148$1,644 (70 reporting, sample year)
FY2019$1,280$2,007$1,627 (69 reporting, sample year)
FY2020$1,880$2,042$1,798 (71 reporting, sample year)
FY2021$2,246$1,895$1,411 (199 reporting)
FY2022$2,152$1,761$2,068 (73 reporting, sample year)
FY2023$2,040$2,810$2,130 (91 reporting, sample year)

Questions about Grand Junction’s finances

How much revenue does Grand Junction collect per resident?
Grand Junction collected $2,774 per resident in FY2021, 12% above the median of the 227 Colorado municipalities reporting that year. See the figure
How does Grand Junction's spending per resident compare with similar cities?
Grand Junction spent $2,775 per resident in FY2021, 17% above the median of its peers: Montrose, Loveland, Commerce City and Fruita. See the figure
How much debt does Grand Junction have per resident?
Grand Junction carried $2,246 of debt per resident in FY2021, 19% above its peers' median. See the figure
Which cities is Grand Junction compared with?
Grand Junction is compared with Montrose, Loveland, Commerce City and Fruita: 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
2021 estimate
Median household income
$58.9K
2021 estimate
Poverty rate
13.1%
2021 estimate
Median home value
$271.1K
2021 estimate
Housing vacancy rate
5.6%
2021 estimate

Explore further

Also in Western Slope

Revenue per resident, latest published year.

Sources

Dataset: Grand Junction, 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

Public safety is Grand Junction’s largest difference from its peers (82% above 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.

See how it worksTalk to us
Book a walkthrough