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Montrose · FY2021 municipal finance benchmarks

Montrose County · Western Slope · home rule municipality · Pop. 21,583 (2025 estimate); FY2021 per-resident figures use 20,725 · 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 Montrose: 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

Montrose collected $2,356 per resident (including city-run utilities), in line with the median of the 227 Colorado municipalities reporting that year, 12% below its peers. Tax revenue per resident sits 6% above its peers, and 41% above the state median. Debt per resident runs 35% below peers.

Regional hub: sales tax per resident is 1.6× 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)

$2,356
12% below peers
Includes city-owned utilities
Peer median
$2,675
CO median · 227 with a published figure
$2,476
Position
Higher than 45% of the 227 reporting
5-year changenominal dollars
+6.1%/yr
How Colorado compares on revenue per resident

Expenditures per resident (definition)

$2,382
in line with peers
Includes city-owned utilities
Peer median
$2,460
CO median · 220 with a published figure
$2,208
Position
Higher than 55% of the 220 reporting
5-year changenominal dollars
+8.0%/yr

Tax revenue per resident (definition)

$1,512
6% above peers
Peer median
$1,429
CO median · 201 with a published figure
$1,072
Position
Higher than 69% of the 201 reporting
5-year changenominal dollars
+9.4%/yr

Debt per resident (definition)

$1,228
35% below peers
Peer median
$1,895
CO median · 199 with a published figure
$1,411
Position
Higher than 46% of the 199 reporting
5-year changenominal dollars
+48.6%/yr
How Colorado compares on debt per resident

How this number was calculated

Revenue per resident · $2,356
Reported by the city to the Census Bureau

  1. 1Metric

    $2,356 Total revenue divided by population

    = Total revenue ÷ population

    Full definition: Revenue per resident

  2. 2Inputs

    Total revenue $48.8M ÷ population 20,725 (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
    • C89 State aid
    • D89 Local government aid
    • T09 General sales tax
    • T15 Selective sales taxes (lodging, utilities, etc.)
    • T29 Licenses & permits
    • U01 Special assessments
    • U11 Sale of property
    • U20 Interest earnings
    • U30 Fines & forfeits
    • U50 Private donations
    • U99 Miscellaneous

  4. 4Source file

What the numbers mean

  • Montrose runs city-owned utilities, which add 13.2% 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
  • Montrose 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 Montrose; the gold tick is the peer median. How categories work

Regional hub: sales tax per resident is 1.6× 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 Transportation: $159 per resident, 70% below the peer median. On the revenue side, sales tax is 28% above peers.

Money in

Revenue

$2,356
per resident12% below peers
Money in: Montrose revenue per resident by category, FY2021, against the peer median. Open a category for its lines and Census item codes.
CategoryPer residentvs peers
$1,42428% abovepeers $1,113
$33239% belowpeers $542
$31224% belowpeers $411
$12957% belowpeers $298
$8840% belowpeers $148
$69in line withpeers $68
None reported · peers $148$0None reported
Peer median of 4 peers · Colorado median of 227 reporting

Money out

Spending

$2,382
per residentin line with peers
Money out: Montrose spending per resident by category, FY2021, against the peer median. Open a category for its lines and Census item codes.
CategoryPer residentvs peers
$81180% abovepeers $451
$66832% abovepeers $505
$49126% abovepeers $391
$19631% belowpeers $284
$15970% belowpeers $530
$5121% abovepeers $42
$685% belowpeers $41
Peer median of 5 peers · Colorado median of 220 reporting

Montrose 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
Montrose compared with its peer municipalities, FY2021, per resident
MunicipalityRevenueExpendituresTax revenueSales taxDebt
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
Fruita$1,512$1,102$659$473$1,895
Glenwood SpringsUtilities: City-owned utilities (water, electric, gas, transit) brought in 22.0% 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.Regional hub: Sales tax per resident is 2.8× the Colorado median.$6,400$6,064$2,856$2,413$5,718
CraigUtilities: City-owned utilities (water, electric, gas, transit) brought in 15.2% 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.$2,577$2,384$1,386$925$665
RifleUtilities: City-owned utilities (water, electric, gas, transit) brought in 15.5% 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 1.5× the Colorado median.$2,773$2,460$1,472$1,301$3,076
Peer median$2,675$2,460$1,429$1,113$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 $1,753 to FY2023 $2,937.$0$2.9K$5.8K’16’18’19’20’21’22’23Peer median FY2016: $1,995Peer median FY2018: $2,127Peer median FY2019: $2,176Peer median FY2020: $2,377Peer median FY2021: $2,675Peer median FY2022: $4,490Peer median FY2023: $5,785Colorado median FY2016: $1,746 (all 224 municipalities reporting)Colorado median FY2021: $2,476 (all 227 municipalities reporting)FY2016: $1,753FY2018: $1,818FY2019: $1,884FY2020: $2,654FY2021: $2,356FY2022: $2,495FY2023: $2,937

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
Revenue per resident by fiscal year
YearThis cityPeer medianColorado median
FY2016$1,753$1,995$1,746 (224 reporting)
FY2018$1,818$2,127$2,529 (75 reporting, sample year)
FY2019$1,884$2,176$2,694 (73 reporting, sample year)
FY2020$2,654$2,377$2,739 (76 reporting, sample year)
FY2021$2,356$2,675$2,476 (227 reporting)
FY2022$2,495$4,490$3,031 (72 reporting, sample year)
FY2023$2,937$5,785$3,580 (97 reporting, sample year)
Expenditures per resident
FY2016 $1,620 to FY2023 $2,938.$0$2.7K$5.3K’16’18’19’20’21’22’23Peer median FY2016: $2,079Peer median FY2018: $2,072Peer median FY2019: $2,120Peer median FY2020: $1,957Peer median FY2021: $2,460Peer median FY2022: $3,227Peer median FY2023: $5,312Colorado median FY2016: $1,749 (all 224 municipalities reporting)Colorado median FY2021: $2,208 (all 227 municipalities reporting)FY2016: $1,620FY2018: $3,003FY2019: $3,142FY2020: $2,968FY2021: $2,382FY2022: $2,558. Excludes equipment purchases and payments to other governments, which Census stopped reporting after FY2021.FY2023: $2,938. 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, 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$1,620$2,079$1,749 (196 reporting)
FY2018$3,003$2,072$2,387 (74 reporting, sample year)
FY2019$3,142$2,120$2,759 (71 reporting, sample year)
FY2020$2,968$1,957$2,485 (74 reporting, sample year)
FY2021$2,382$2,460$2,208 (220 reporting)
FY2022$2,558$3,227$3,025 (71 reporting, sample year)
FY2023$2,938$5,312$3,680 (91 reporting, sample year)
Tax revenue per resident
FY2016 $967 to FY2023 $1,729.$0$1.3K$2.5K’16’18’19’20’21’22’23Peer median FY2016: $768Peer median FY2018: $951Peer median FY2019: $1,057Peer median FY2020: $1,239Peer median FY2021: $1,429Peer median FY2022: $2,304Peer median FY2023: $2,535Colorado median FY2016: $705 (all 224 municipalities reporting)Colorado median FY2021: $1,072 (all 227 municipalities reporting)FY2016: $967FY2018: $970FY2019: $1,023FY2020: $1,315FY2021: $1,512FY2022: $1,628FY2023: $1,729

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
Tax revenue per resident by fiscal year
YearThis cityPeer medianColorado median
FY2016$967$768$705 (193 reporting)
FY2018$970$951$1,173 (70 reporting, sample year)
FY2019$1,023$1,057$1,187 (71 reporting, sample year)
FY2020$1,315$1,239$1,238 (72 reporting, sample year)
FY2021$1,512$1,429$1,072 (201 reporting)
FY2022$1,628$2,304$1,631 (71 reporting, sample year)
FY2023$1,729$2,535$1,726 (90 reporting, sample year)
Debt per resident
FY2016 $170 to FY2023 $1,083.$0$1.4K$2.8K’16’18’19’20’21’22’23Peer median FY2016: $2,327Peer median FY2018: $2,834Peer median FY2019: $2,007Peer median FY2020: $2,846Peer median FY2021: $1,895Peer median FY2022: $2,283Peer median FY2023: $2,552Colorado median FY2016: $1,072 (all 224 municipalities reporting)Colorado median FY2021: $1,411 (all 227 municipalities reporting)FY2016: $170FY2018: $585FY2019: $528FY2020: $1,271FY2021: $1,228FY2022: $1,172FY2023: $1,083

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$170$2,327$1,072 (220 reporting)
FY2018$585$2,834$1,644 (70 reporting, sample year)
FY2019$528$2,007$1,627 (69 reporting, sample year)
FY2020$1,271$2,846$1,798 (71 reporting, sample year)
FY2021$1,228$1,895$1,411 (199 reporting)
FY2022$1,172$2,283$2,068 (73 reporting, sample year)
FY2023$1,083$2,552$2,130 (91 reporting, sample year)

Questions about Montrose’s finances

How much revenue does Montrose collect per resident?
Montrose collected $2,356 per resident in FY2021, in line with the median of the 227 Colorado municipalities reporting that year. See the figure
How does Montrose's spending per resident compare with similar cities?
Montrose spent $2,382 per resident in FY2021, in line with the median of its peers: Fruita, Glenwood Springs, Craig and Rifle. See the figure
How much debt does Montrose have per resident?
Montrose carried $1,228 of debt per resident in FY2021, 35% below its peers' median. See the figure
Which cities is Montrose compared with?
Montrose is compared with Fruita, Glenwood Springs, Craig and Rifle: 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)
+1.8%/yr
2021 estimate
Median household income
$54.3K
2021 estimate
Poverty rate
12.9%
2021 estimate
Median home value
$261.6K
2021 estimate
Housing vacancy rate
10.0%
2021 estimate

Explore further

Also in Western Slope

Revenue per resident, latest published year.

Sources

Dataset: Montrose, 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

Transportation is Montrose’s largest difference from its peers (70% below the peer median in FY2021). See how that line moves month to month in your own budget-vs-actual.

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