Orivian

La Junta · FY2016 municipal finance benchmarks

Otero County · Eastern Plains · home rule municipality · Pop. 6,864 (2025 estimate); FY2016 per-resident figures use 6,924 · Census finance data FY2016, FY2017, FY2021, FY2023

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

La Junta collected $3,380 per resident (including city-run utilities), 94% above the median of the 224 Colorado municipalities reporting that year, 10% above its peers. Tax revenue per resident sits in line with its peers, but 14% below the state median. Debt per resident runs 85% above peers.

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)

$3,380
10% above peers
Includes city-owned utilities
Peer median
$3,081
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)

$2,898
in line with peers
Includes city-owned utilities
Peer median
$2,985
CO median · 196 with a published figure
$1,749
Position
Higher than 72% of the 196 reporting
5-year changenominal dollars
Not enough history for a 5-year change

Tax revenue per resident (definition)

$605
in line with peers
Peer median
$584
CO median · 193 with a published figure
$705
Position
Higher than 46% of the 193 reporting
5-year changenominal dollars
Not enough history for a 5-year change

Debt per resident (definition)

$2,619
85% above peers
Peer median
$1,417
CO median · 220 with a published figure
$1,072
Position
Higher than 76% 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 · $3,380
Reported by the city to the Census Bureau

  1. 1Metric

    $3,380 Total revenue divided by population

    = Total revenue ÷ population

    Full definition: Revenue per resident

  2. 2Inputs

    Total revenue $23.4M ÷ population 6,924 (2016 estimate)

  3. 3Census line items

    • A01 Airport charges
    • A03 Commercial activities (other) charges
    • A50 Housing & community development charges
    • A61 Parks & recreation charges
    • A80 Sewer charges
    • A81 Solid waste charges
    • A91 Water utility charges
    • A92 Electric utility charges
    • A94 Transit charges
    • B46 Federal aid
    • C30 State aid
    • C46 State aid
    • C94 State aid
    • D46 Local government aid
    • D94 Local government aid
    • T01 Property tax
    • T09 General sales tax
    • T15 Selective sales taxes (lodging, utilities, etc.)
    • T20 Licenses & permits
    • T24 Licenses & permits
    • T29 Licenses & permits
    • U01 Special assessments
    • U20 Interest earnings
    • U99 Miscellaneous

  4. 4Source file

What the numbers mean

  • La Junta runs city-owned utilities, which add 60.1% 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
  • La Junta 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, FY2016. Bars show La Junta; the gold tick is the peer median. How categories work

The biggest difference from peers is General government: $127 per resident, 64% below the peer median. On the revenue side, fees & charges is 53% above peers.

Money in

Revenue

$3,380
per resident10% above peers
Money in: La Junta revenue per resident by category, FY2016, against the peer median. Open a category for its lines and Census item codes.
CategoryPer residentvs peers
$2,0316% abovepeers $1,918
$63153% abovepeers $413
$53932% abovepeers $407
$9650% belowpeers $192
$3442% belowpeers $60
$3172% belowpeers $112
$1883% belowpeers $104
Peer median of 4 peers · Colorado median of 224 reporting

Money out

Spending

$2,898
per residentin line with peers
Money out: La Junta spending per resident by category, FY2016, against the peer median. Open a category for its lines and Census item codes.
CategoryPer residentvs peers
$1,8246% abovepeers $1,723
$2727% belowpeers $293
$24719% belowpeers $306
$237No peer comparisonpeers $0
$17210% abovepeers $156
$12764% belowpeers $353
$2063% belowpeers $54
Peer median of 4 peers · Colorado median of 196 reporting

La Junta 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
La Junta compared with its peer municipalities, FY2016, per resident
MunicipalityRevenueExpendituresTax revenueSales taxDebt
La JuntaUtilities: City-owned utilities (water, electric, gas, transit) brought in 60.1% 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.$3,380$2,898$605$539$2,619
LamarUtilities: City-owned utilities (water, electric, gas, transit) brought in 69.5% 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.$3,364$3,585$603$482$1,161
BrushUtilities: City-owned utilities (water, electric, gas, transit) brought in 11.5% 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.$1,652$1,940$564$299$1,351
Fort MorganUtilities: City-owned utilities (water, electric, gas, transit) brought in 61.8% 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.$4,784$4,187$795$622$1,417
BurlingtonUtilities: City-owned utilities (water, electric, gas, transit) brought in 53.6% 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.$2,797$2,386$533$333$1,926
Peer median$3,081$2,985$584$407$1,417

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 $3,380 to FY2023 $4,464.$0$3.8K$7.6K’16’17’21’23Peer median FY2016: $3,081Peer median FY2017: $7,564Peer median FY2021: $3,090Peer median FY2023: $4,081Colorado median FY2016: $1,746 (all 224 municipalities reporting)Colorado median FY2021: $2,476 (all 227 municipalities reporting)FY2016: $3,380FY2017: $3,532FY2021: $3,970FY2023: $4,464

Fiscal year · nominal dollars, not adjusted for inflation

Peer group changed in FY2017, 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$3,380$3,081$1,746 (224 reporting)
FY2017$3,532$7,564$2,694 (35 reporting, sample year)
FY2021$3,970$3,090$2,476 (227 reporting)
FY2023$4,464$4,081$3,580 (97 reporting, sample year)
Expenditures per resident
FY2016 $2,898 to FY2023 $4,997.$0$3.8K$7.7K’16’17’21’23Peer median FY2016: $2,985Peer median FY2017: $7,673Peer median FY2021: $2,781Peer median FY2023: $3,852Colorado median FY2016: $1,749 (all 224 municipalities reporting)Colorado median FY2021: $2,208 (all 227 municipalities reporting)FY2016: $2,898FY2017: $3,856FY2021: $4,386FY2023: $4,997. 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, FY2021, 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$2,898$2,985$1,749 (196 reporting)
FY2017$3,856$7,673$2,663 (35 reporting, sample year)
FY2021$4,386$2,781$2,208 (220 reporting)
FY2023$4,997$3,852$3,680 (91 reporting, sample year)
Tax revenue per resident
FY2016 $605 to FY2023 $1,023.$0$1.1K$2.2K’16’17’21’23Peer median FY2016: $584Peer median FY2017: $2,170Peer median FY2021: $911Peer median FY2023: $1,037Colorado median FY2016: $705 (all 224 municipalities reporting)Colorado median FY2021: $1,072 (all 227 municipalities reporting)FY2016: $605FY2017: $598FY2021: $748FY2023: $1,023

Fiscal year · nominal dollars, not adjusted for inflation

Peer group changed in FY2017, 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$605$584$705 (193 reporting)
FY2017$598$2,170$1,098 (34 reporting, sample year)
FY2021$748$911$1,072 (201 reporting)
FY2023$1,023$1,037$1,726 (90 reporting, sample year)
Debt per resident
FY2016 $2,619 to FY2023 $2,639.$0$1.3K$2.6K’16’17’21’23Peer median FY2016: $1,417Peer median FY2017: $1,548Peer median FY2021: $1,270Peer median FY2023: $1,388Colorado median FY2016: $1,072 (all 224 municipalities reporting)Colorado median FY2021: $1,411 (all 227 municipalities reporting)FY2016: $2,619FY2017: $2,590FY2021: $2,418FY2023: $2,639

Fiscal year · nominal dollars, not adjusted for inflation

Peer group changed in FY2017, FY2021, 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$2,619$1,417$1,072 (220 reporting)
FY2017$2,590$1,548$1,482 (34 reporting, sample year)
FY2021$2,418$1,270$1,411 (199 reporting)
FY2023$2,639$1,388$2,130 (91 reporting, sample year)

Questions about La Junta’s finances

How much revenue does La Junta collect per resident?
La Junta collected $3,380 per resident in FY2016, 94% above the median of the 224 Colorado municipalities reporting that year. See the figure
How does La Junta's spending per resident compare with similar cities?
La Junta spent $2,898 per resident in FY2016, in line with the median of its peers: Lamar, Brush, Fort Morgan and Burlington. See the figure
How much debt does La Junta have per resident?
La Junta carried $2,619 of debt per resident in FY2016, 85% above its peers' median. See the figure
Which cities is La Junta compared with?
La Junta is compared with Lamar, Brush, Fort Morgan and Burlington: 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)
−0.4%/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 Eastern Plains

Revenue per resident, latest published year.

Sources

Dataset: La Junta, 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

General government is La Junta’s largest difference from its peers (64% below the peer median in FY2016). 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