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Gunnison · FY2021 municipal finance benchmarks

Gunnison County · Central Mountains & Resort · home rule municipality · Pop. 6,836 (2025 estimate); FY2021 per-resident figures use 6,772 · 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 Gunnison: FY2023. Retrieved Oct 2026. Newer years are added when the Census Bureau publishes them. Why the lag?

City website (opens in a new tab)

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FY2021 in brief

Gunnison collected $4,357 per resident (including city-run utilities), 76% above the median of the 227 Colorado municipalities reporting that year, 34% above its peers. Tax revenue per resident sits 18% above its peers, and 78% above the state median. Debt per resident runs 10% above peers.

Regional hub: sales tax per resident is 1.9× 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)

$4,357
34% above peers
Includes city-owned utilities
Peer median
$3,259
CO median · 227 with a published figure
$2,476
Position
Higher than 81% of the 227 reporting
5-year changenominal dollars
+7.8%/yr
How Colorado compares on revenue per resident

Expenditures per resident (definition)

$3,661
40% above peers
Includes city-owned utilities
Peer median
$2,611
CO median · 220 with a published figure
$2,208
Position
Higher than 78% of the 220 reporting
5-year changenominal dollars
+1.1%/yr

Tax revenue per resident (definition)

$1,905
18% above peers
Peer median
$1,615
CO median · 201 with a published figure
$1,072
Position
Higher than 79% of the 201 reporting
5-year changenominal dollars
+7.9%/yr

Debt per resident (definition)

$2,320
10% above peers
Peer median
$2,102
CO median · 199 with a published figure
$1,411
Position
Higher than 69% of the 199 reporting
5-year changenominal dollars
+16.5%/yr
How Colorado compares on debt per resident

How this number was calculated

Revenue per resident · $4,357
Reported by the city to the Census Bureau

  1. 1Metric

    $4,357 Total revenue divided by population

    = Total revenue ÷ population

    Full definition: Revenue per resident

  2. 2Inputs

    Total revenue $29.5M ÷ population 6,772 (2021 estimate)

  3. 3Census line items

    • A61 Parks & recreation charges
    • A80 Sewer charges
    • A81 Solid waste charges
    • A89 General government (other) charges
    • A91 Water utility charges
    • A92 Electric utility 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
    • T51 Other taxes
    • T99 Other taxes
    • U11 Sale of property
    • U20 Interest earnings
    • U30 Fines & forfeits
    • U40 Rents
    • U50 Private donations
    • U99 Miscellaneous

  4. 4Source file

What the numbers mean

  • Gunnison runs city-owned utilities, which add 28.5% 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
  • Gunnison 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 Gunnison; the gold tick is the peer median. How categories work

Regional hub: sales tax per resident is 1.9× 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 Utilities & environment: $1,728 per resident, 2.1× the peer median. On the revenue side, utility & transit charges is 2.6× peers.

Money in

Revenue

$4,357
per resident34% above peers
Money in: Gunnison revenue per resident by category, FY2021, against the peer median. Open a category for its lines and Census item codes.
CategoryPer residentvs peers
$1,62215% abovepeers $1,413
$1,2422.6×peers $484
$72285% abovepeers $391
$43825% belowpeers $584
$2192.1×peers $102
$6436% belowpeers $100
$5137% belowpeers $80
Peer median of 4 peers · Colorado median of 227 reporting

Money out

Spending

$3,661
per resident40% above peers
Money out: Gunnison spending per resident by category, FY2021, against the peer median. Open a category for its lines and Census item codes.
CategoryPer residentvs peers
$1,7282.1×peers $840
$71437% abovepeers $522
$4869% belowpeers $537
$42330% belowpeers $601
$21148% belowpeers $410
$9814% abovepeers $86
Peer median of 5 peers · Colorado median of 220 reporting

Gunnison 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
Gunnison compared with its peer municipalities, FY2021, per resident
MunicipalityRevenueExpendituresTax revenueSales taxDebt
GunnisonUtilities: City-owned utilities (water, electric, gas, transit) brought in 28.5% 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 1.9× the Colorado median.$4,357$3,661$1,905$1,622$2,320
SalidaUtilities: City-owned utilities (water, electric, gas, transit) brought in 14.7% 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 1.9× the Colorado median.$3,792$3,352$1,688$1,615$2,102
AvonUtilities: 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.Regional hub: Sales tax per resident is 2.2× the Colorado median.$6,067$2,611$4,481$1,901$3,314
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
CortezUtilities: 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.$2,726$2,120$1,543$1,212$454
Peer median$3,259$2,611$1,615$1,615$2,102

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 $2,993 to FY2023 $4,833.$0$3.4K$6.9K’16’18’19’20’21’22’23Peer median FY2016: $4,781Peer median FY2018: $6,856Peer median FY2019: $2,809Peer median FY2020: $2,153Peer median FY2021: $3,259Peer median FY2022: $3,333Peer median FY2023: $4,540Colorado median FY2016: $1,746 (all 224 municipalities reporting)Colorado median FY2021: $2,476 (all 227 municipalities reporting)FY2016: $2,993FY2018: $3,058FY2019: $3,133FY2020: $4,015FY2021: $4,357FY2022: $4,521FY2023: $4,833

Fiscal year · nominal dollars, not adjusted for inflation

Peer group changed in FY2018, FY2019, 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$2,993$4,781$1,746 (224 reporting)
FY2018$3,058$6,856$2,529 (75 reporting, sample year)
FY2019$3,133$2,809$2,694 (73 reporting, sample year)
FY2020$4,015$2,153$2,739 (76 reporting, sample year)
FY2021$4,357$3,259$2,476 (227 reporting)
FY2022$4,521$3,333$3,031 (72 reporting, sample year)
FY2023$4,833$4,540$3,580 (97 reporting, sample year)
Expenditures per resident
FY2016 $3,464 to FY2023 $4,441.$0$2.2K$4.4K’16’18’19’20’21’22’23Peer median FY2016: $2,566Peer median FY2018: $2,875Peer median FY2019: $3,083Peer median FY2020: $2,151Peer median FY2021: $2,611Peer median FY2022: $2,690Peer median FY2023: $3,005Colorado median FY2016: $1,749 (all 224 municipalities reporting)Colorado median FY2021: $2,208 (all 227 municipalities reporting)FY2016: $3,464FY2018: $2,616FY2019: $2,742FY2020: $4,212FY2021: $3,661FY2022: $4,222. Excludes equipment purchases and payments to other governments, which Census stopped reporting after FY2021.FY2023: $4,441. 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, FY2019, 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$3,464$2,566$1,749 (196 reporting)
FY2018$2,616$2,875$2,387 (74 reporting, sample year)
FY2019$2,742$3,083$2,759 (71 reporting, sample year)
FY2020$4,212$2,151$2,485 (74 reporting, sample year)
FY2021$3,661$2,611$2,208 (220 reporting)
FY2022$4,222$2,690$3,025 (71 reporting, sample year)
FY2023$4,441$3,005$3,680 (91 reporting, sample year)
Tax revenue per resident
FY2016 $1,305 to FY2023 $1,834.$0$1.5K$3K’16’18’19’20’21’22’23Peer median FY2016: $3,001Peer median FY2018: $1,186Peer median FY2019: $1,265Peer median FY2020: $1,105Peer median FY2021: $1,615Peer median FY2022: $1,759Peer median FY2023: $1,828Colorado median FY2016: $705 (all 224 municipalities reporting)Colorado median FY2021: $1,072 (all 227 municipalities reporting)FY2016: $1,305FY2018: $1,213FY2019: $1,276FY2020: $1,691FY2021: $1,905FY2022: $2,006FY2023: $1,834

Fiscal year · nominal dollars, not adjusted for inflation

Peer group changed in FY2018, FY2019, 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$1,305$3,001$705 (193 reporting)
FY2018$1,213$1,186$1,173 (70 reporting, sample year)
FY2019$1,276$1,265$1,187 (71 reporting, sample year)
FY2020$1,691$1,105$1,238 (72 reporting, sample year)
FY2021$1,905$1,615$1,072 (201 reporting)
FY2022$2,006$1,759$1,631 (71 reporting, sample year)
FY2023$1,834$1,828$1,726 (90 reporting, sample year)
Debt per resident
FY2016 $1,080 to FY2023 $2,017.$0$1.5K$3K’16’18’19’20’21’22’23Peer median FY2016: $2,173Peer median FY2020: $985Peer median FY2021: $2,102Peer median FY2022: $611Peer median FY2023: $3,022Colorado median FY2016: $1,072 (all 224 municipalities reporting)Colorado median FY2021: $1,411 (all 227 municipalities reporting)FY2016: $1,080FY2020: $2,619FY2021: $2,320FY2022: $2,158FY2023: $2,017

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
Debt per resident by fiscal year
YearThis cityPeer medianColorado median
FY2016$1,080$2,173$1,072 (220 reporting)
FY2018———
FY2019———
FY2020$2,619$985$1,798 (71 reporting, sample year)
FY2021$2,320$2,102$1,411 (199 reporting)
FY2022$2,158$611$2,068 (73 reporting, sample year)
FY2023$2,017$3,022$2,130 (91 reporting, sample year)

Questions about Gunnison’s finances

How much revenue does Gunnison collect per resident?
Gunnison collected $4,357 per resident in FY2021, 76% above the median of the 227 Colorado municipalities reporting that year. See the figure
How does Gunnison's spending per resident compare with similar cities?
Gunnison spent $3,661 per resident in FY2021, 40% above the median of its peers: Salida, Avon, Delta and Cortez. See the figure
How much debt does Gunnison have per resident?
Gunnison carried $2,320 of debt per resident in FY2021, 10% above its peers' median. See the figure
Which cities is Gunnison compared with?
Gunnison is compared with Salida, Avon, Delta and Cortez: 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)
+1.0%/yr
2021 estimate
Median household income
$46.3K
2021 estimate
Poverty rate
25.2%
2021 estimate
Median home value
$286.4K
2021 estimate
Housing vacancy rate
10.3%
2021 estimate

Explore further

Also in Central Mountains & Resort

Revenue per resident, latest published year.

Sources

Dataset: Gunnison, 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 Gunnison’s largest difference from its peers (2.1× 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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