Lake City · FY2021 municipal finance benchmarks

Name: Lake City, CO municipal finance benchmarks
Creator: Orivian
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Hinsdale County · Central Mountains & Resort · statutory town · Pop. 416 (2025 estimate); FY2021 per-resident figures use 429 · Census finance data FY2016, FY2021

Latest Census Bureau finance data for Lake City: FY2021. Retrieved Oct 2026. Newer years are added when the Census Bureau publishes them. Why the lag?

City website (opens in a new tab)

Fiscal yearCompare

FY2021 in brief

Lake City collected $4,270 per resident (including city-run utilities), 72% above the median of the 227 Colorado municipalities reporting that year, 30% above its peers. Tax revenue per resident sits 77% above its peers.

Regional hub: sales tax per resident is 1.8× the Colorado median.

Generated from the figures below. Every number links to its Census source.

Compared with

Nearest on population, household income and region

Revenue per resident (definition)

$4,270

30% above peers

Includes city-owned utilities

Peer median: $3,292
CO median · 227 with a published figure Median of the 227 Colorado municipalities with FY2021 Census finance data. In FY2016 and FY2021 the Census covers every municipality; in other years it surveys a sample, mostly larger cities.: $2,476
Position: Higher than 81% of the 227 reporting
5-year changenominal dollars: +9.2%/yr

How Colorado compares on revenue per resident

Expenditures per resident (definition)

$1,326

40% below peers

Includes city-owned utilities

Peer median: $2,217
CO median · 220 with a published figure Median of the 220 Colorado municipalities with FY2021 Census finance data. In FY2016 and FY2021 the Census covers every municipality; in other years it surveys a sample, mostly larger cities.: $2,208
Position: Higher than 21% of the 220 reporting
5-year changenominal dollars: Not enough history for a 5-year change

Tax revenue per resident (definition)

$1,807

77% above peers

Peer median: $1,020
CO median · 201 with a published figure Median of the 201 Colorado municipalities with FY2021 Census finance data. In FY2016 and FY2021 the Census covers every municipality; in other years it surveys a sample, mostly larger cities.: $1,072
Position: Higher than 76% of the 201 reporting
5-year changenominal dollars: +11.3%/yr

Debt per resident (definition)

$1,970

in line with peers

Peer median: $1,947
CO median · 199 with a published figure Median of the 199 Colorado municipalities with FY2021 Census finance data. In FY2016 and FY2021 the Census covers every municipality; in other years it surveys a sample, mostly larger cities.: $1,411
Position: Higher than 64% of the 199 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 · $4,270

Reported by the city to the Census Bureau

1Metric
$4,270 Total revenue divided by population
= Total revenue ÷ population
Full definition: Revenue per resident
2Inputs
Total revenue $1.8M ÷ population 429 (2021 estimate)
3Census line items
- A80 Sewer 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
4Source file
- Annual Survey of State & Local Government Finances 2022 - Individual Unit File
  Value for
  FY2021
  Survey file
  2022
  The 2022 Census survey covers fiscal years ending July 1, 2021 through June 30, 2022, so a fiscal year ending December 31, 2021 is FY2021.
  Retrieved October 12, 2026 · View source: Annual Survey of State & Local Government Finances 2022 - Individual Unit File (opens in a new tab)
- Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2025 - incorporated places
  Value for
  FY2021
  Source year
  2025
  Retrieved October 7, 2026 · View source: Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2025 - incorporated places (opens in a new tab)

What the numbers mean

Lake City runs city-owned utilities, which add 18.1% 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
With about 429 residents, small changes in Lake City's budget move per-resident figures a lot. Compare several years, not one.
Lake City 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 Lake City; the gold tick is the peer median. How categories work

Regional hub: sales tax per resident is 1.8× 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: $347 per resident, 64% below the peer median. On the revenue side, intergovernmental is 5.7× peers.

Money in

Revenue

$4,270

per resident30% above peers

Money in: Lake City revenue per resident by category, FY2021, against the peer median. Open a category for its lines and Census item codes.
Category	Per resident	Peer median	vs peers	Share of revenue
	$1,576	$832	89% above peerspeers $832	37%

General sales tax $1,576 · peers $832 General sales and use tax. Census line items T09 General sales tax
	$1,082	$189	5.7× peerspeers $189	25%

Local government aid $545 · peers $15 State aid $420 · peers $32 Federal aid $117 · peers $0 Grants and shared revenue from federal, state and local governments. Census line items B89 Federal aid C89 State aid D89 Local government aid
	$774	$899	14% below peerspeers $899	18%

Water utility charges $774 · peers $708 Revenue of city-owned water, electric, gas and transit systems. Census line items A91 Water utility charges
	$608	$785	23% below peerspeers $785	14%

Sewer charges $608 · peers $240 Charges for services such as sewer, trash, recreation, parking and airports. Census line items A80 Sewer charges
	$142	$160	11% below peerspeers $160	3%

Property tax $142 · peers $160 Property tax levied by the municipality. Census line items T01 Property tax
	$89	$47	87% above peerspeers $47	2%

Selective sales taxes (lodging, utilities, etc.) $70 · peers $0 Licenses & permits $19 · peers $41 Lodging, utility, tobacco and other selective sales taxes, licenses and permits, and other taxes. Census line items T15 Selective sales taxes (lodging, utilities, etc.) T19 Selective sales taxes (lodging, utilities, etc.) T20 Licenses & permits T24 Licenses & permits T28 Licenses & permits
None reported · peers $89	$0	$89	None reported	0%

Lake City reported nothing in this category for FY2021. Interest earnings, fines, rents, special assessments, donations and sales of property.

Peer median of 5 peers · Colorado median of 227 reporting

Money out

Spending

$1,326

per resident40% below peers

Money out: Lake City spending per resident by category, FY2021, against the peer median. Open a category for its lines and Census item codes.
Category	Per resident	Peer median	vs peers	Share of spending
	$347	$965	64% below peerspeers $965	26%

Solid waste $347 · peers $0 Water, sewer, solid waste, electric and gas utilities, and natural resources. Census line items E81 Solid waste
	$319	$739	57% below peerspeers $739	24%

Central staff services $308 · peers $387 Judicial & legal $12 · peers $1 Administration, finance, legal and courts, public buildings and other general government. Census line items E25 Judicial & legal E29 Central staff services
	$221	$67	3.3× peerspeers $67	17%

Streets & highways $221 · peers $67 Streets and highways, transit, parking and airports. Census line items E44 Streets & highways
Peer median unavailable	$177	Peer median unavailable	No peer comparison	13%

Police $177 Police, fire protection, inspection and corrections. Census line items E62 Police
	$175	$16	10.7× peerspeers $16	13%

Parks & recreation $175 · peers $13 Parks and recreation, libraries, housing and community development. Census line items E61 Parks & recreation
	$86	$33	2.6× peerspeers $33	7%

Interest on debt $86 · peers $33 Interest paid on the municipality's debt. Census line items I91 Interest on debt

Peer median of 4 peers · Colorado median of 220 reporting

Lake City 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

Lake City compared with its peer municipalities, FY2021, per resident
Municipality	Revenue	Expenditures	Tax revenue	Sales tax	Debt
Lake CityUtilities: City-owned utilities (water, electric, gas, transit) brought in 18.1% 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.Regional hub: Sales tax per resident is 1.8× the Colorado median.	$4,270	$1,326	$1,807	$1,576	$1,970
YampaUtilities: City-owned utilities (water, electric, gas, transit) brought in 36.6% 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.	$1,935	$1,640	$652	$418	$1,126
NorwoodUtilities: City-owned utilities (water, electric, gas, transit) brought in 35.5% 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.	$2,535	$1,949	$1,043	$848	$469
Grand LakeRegional hub: Sales tax per resident is 8.0× the Colorado median.	$12,210	Withheld Grand Lake · Expenditures per resident · FY2021 Reason: Expenditures per resident is 8.5x the peer median We don't publish figures that fail our quality checks until they're verified against the city's audited financial report.	Withheld Grand Lake · Tax revenue per resident · FY2021 Reason: Tax revenue per resident is 6.6x the peer median We don't publish figures that fail our quality checks until they're verified against the city's audited financial report.	$6,861	$13,837
EmpireUtilities: City-owned utilities (water, electric, gas, transit) brought in 32.2% 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.	$3,292	$2,484	$1,245	$1,062	Not reported for this year
WaldenUtilities: City-owned utilities (water, electric, gas, transit) brought in 53.2% 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.	$4,010	$4,292	$997	$815	$2,768
Peer median	$3,292	$2,217	$1,020	$848	$1,947

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

Fiscal year · nominal dollars, not adjusted for inflation

Peer group changed in FY2021. Peers are matched each year, so the peer median can step when the group changes.

Show data table

Revenue per resident by fiscal year
Year	This city	Peer median	Colorado median
FY2016	$2,747	$1,882	$1,746 (224 reporting)
FY2021	$4,270	$3,292	$2,476 (227 reporting)

Expenditures per resident

Fiscal year · nominal dollars, not adjusted for inflation

FY2016 withheld: Expenditures per resident is 16% of the peer median

Show data table

Expenditures per resident by fiscal year
Year	This city	Peer median	Colorado median
FY2016	Withheld (Expenditures per resident is 16% of the peer median)	Benchmark unavailable	$1,749 (196 reporting)
FY2021	$1,326	$2,217	$2,208 (220 reporting)

Tax revenue per resident

Fiscal year · nominal dollars, not adjusted for inflation

Peer group changed in FY2021. 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
Year	This city	Peer median	Colorado median
FY2016	$1,059	$970	$705 (193 reporting)
FY2021	$1,807	$1,020	$1,072 (201 reporting)

Debt per resident

Fiscal year · nominal dollars, not adjusted for inflation

Show data table

Debt per resident by fiscal year
Year	This city	Peer median	Colorado median
FY2016	—	—	—
FY2021	$1,970	$1,947	$1,411 (199 reporting)

Questions about Lake City’s finances

How much revenue does Lake City collect per resident?: Lake City collected $4,270 per resident in FY2021, 72% above the median of the 227 Colorado municipalities reporting that year. See the figure
How does Lake City's spending per resident compare with similar cities?: Lake City spent $1,326 per resident in FY2021, 40% below the median of its peers: Yampa, Norwood, Grand Lake, Empire and Walden. See the figure
How much debt does Lake City have per resident?: Lake City carried $1,970 of debt per resident in FY2021, in line with its peers' median. See the figure
Which cities is Lake City compared with?: Lake City is compared with Yampa, Norwood, Grand Lake, Empire and Walden: 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): +2.7%/yr; 2021 estimate
Median household income: $52.3K; 2021 estimate
Poverty rate: 7.4%; 2021 estimate
Median home value: $305.8K; 2021 estimate
Housing vacancy rate: 50.1%; 2021 estimate

Explore further

Also in Central Mountains & Resort

Grand Lake$13,561 · FY2023
Yampa$1,935 · FY2021
Empire$3,292 · FY2021
Norwood$2,535 · FY2021
Alma$2,983 · FY2021
Walden$4,010 · FY2021
Red Cliff$2,972 · FY2021
Ophir$3,282 · FY2021

Revenue per resident, latest published year.

Sources

American Community Survey 5-year estimates 2017-2021 · 2021
U.S. Census Bureau
Retrieved October 7, 2026View source: American Community Survey 5-year estimates 2017-2021 (opens in a new tab)
Annual Survey of State & Local Government Finances 2022 - Individual Unit File · 2022 survey file
U.S. Census Bureau
Retrieved October 12, 2026View source: Annual Survey of State & Local Government Finances 2022 - Individual Unit File (opens in a new tab)
Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2025 - incorporated places · 2025
U.S. Census Bureau
Retrieved October 7, 2026View source: Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2025 - incorporated places (opens in a new tab)

Dataset: Lake City, 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 Lake City’s largest difference from its peers (64% below 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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Lake City · FY2021 municipal finance benchmarks

FY2021 in brief

FY2021 headline figures

Revenue per resident (definition)

Expenditures per resident (definition)

Tax revenue per resident (definition)

Debt per resident (definition)

How this number was calculated

What the numbers mean

Where the money comes from and where it goes

Money in

Money out

Lake City and its peers

Trends

Questions about Lake City’s finances

Community context

Explore further

Also in Central Mountains & Resort

Sources

Utilities & environment is Lake City’s largest difference from its peers (64% below the peer median in FY2021). See how that line moves month to month in your own budget-vs-actual.