Palisade · FY2016 municipal finance benchmarks

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

Mesa County · Western Slope · statutory town · Pop. 2,599 (2025 estimate); FY2016 per-resident figures use 2,774 · Census finance data FY2016, FY2021

You’re viewing FY2016. See the latest view (FY2021). Latest Census Bureau finance data for Palisade: 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

FY2016 in brief

Palisade collected $1,156 per resident (including city-run utilities), 34% below the median of the 224 Colorado municipalities reporting that year. Tax revenue per resident sits 21% above its peers, but 30% below the state median. Debt per resident runs 7% below peers.

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)

$1,156

26% below peers

Includes city-owned utilities

Peer median: $1,572
CO median · 224 with a published figure Median of the 224 Colorado municipalities with FY2016 Census finance data. In FY2016 and FY2021 the Census covers every municipality; in other years it surveys a sample, mostly larger cities.: $1,746
Position: Higher than 33% 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)

$874

40% below peers

Includes city-owned utilities

Peer median: $1,449
CO median · 196 with a published figure Median of the 196 Colorado municipalities with FY2016 Census finance data. In FY2016 and FY2021 the Census covers every municipality; in other years it surveys a sample, mostly larger cities.: $1,749
Position: Higher than 19% of the 196 reporting
5-year changenominal dollars: Not enough history for a 5-year change

Tax revenue per resident (definition)

$492

21% above peers

Peer median: $408
CO median · 193 with a published figure Median of the 193 Colorado municipalities with FY2016 Census finance data. In FY2016 and FY2021 the Census covers every municipality; in other years it surveys a sample, mostly larger cities.: $705
Position: Higher than 37% of the 193 reporting
5-year changenominal dollars: Not enough history for a 5-year change

Debt per resident (definition)

$171

7% below peers

Peer median: $183
CO median · 220 with a published figure Median of the 220 Colorado municipalities with FY2016 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 8% 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 · $1,156

Includes Census estimates for 100% of revenue

1Metric
$1,156 Total revenue divided by population
= Total revenue ÷ population
Full definition: Revenue per resident
2Inputs
Total revenue $3.2M ÷ population 2,774 (2016 estimate)
3Census line items
- A80 Sewer charges
- A91 Water utility charges
- C46 State aid
- T01 Property tax
- T09 General sales tax
- T15 Selective sales taxes (lodging, utilities, etc.)
- T16 Selective sales taxes (lodging, utilities, etc.)
4Source file
- Annual Survey of State & Local Government Finances 2017 - Individual Unit File
  Value for
  FY2016
  Survey file
  2017
  The 2017 Census survey covers fiscal years ending July 1, 2016 through June 30, 2017, so a fiscal year ending December 31, 2016 is FY2016.
  Retrieved October 12, 2026 · View source: Annual Survey of State & Local Government Finances 2017 - Individual Unit File (opens in a new tab)
- Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2020 - incorporated places
  Value for
  FY2016
  Source year
  2020
  Retrieved October 7, 2026 · View source: Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2020 - incorporated places (opens in a new tab)

What the numbers mean

Palisade runs city-owned utilities, which add 42.5% 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
With about 2,774 residents, small changes in Palisade's budget move per-resident figures a lot. Compare several years, not one.
Part of Palisade's FY2016 revenue is a Census Bureau estimate, not a reported figure. How estimates are handled

Where the money comes from and where it goes

Per resident, FY2016. Bars show Palisade; the gold tick is the peer median. How categories work

The biggest difference from peers is General government: $30 per resident, 88% below the peer median. On the revenue side, intergovernmental is 90% below peers.

Money in

Revenue

$1,156

per resident26% below peers

Money in: Palisade revenue per resident by category, FY2016, against the peer median. Open a category for its lines and Census item codes.
Category	Per resident	Peer median	vs peers	Share of revenue
	$491	$368	33% above peerspeers $368	42%

Water utility charges $491 · peers $368 Revenue of city-owned water, electric, gas and transit systems. Includes Census Bureau estimates for this year. Census line items A91 Water utility charges
	$348	$247	41% above peerspeers $247	30%

General sales tax $348 · peers $247 General sales and use tax. Includes Census Bureau estimates for this year. Census line items T09 General sales tax
	$131	$128	in line with peerspeers $128	11%

Sewer charges $131 · peers $0 Charges for services such as sewer, trash, recreation, parking and airports. Includes Census Bureau estimates for this year. Census line items A80 Sewer charges
	$130	$71	83% above peerspeers $71	11%

Property tax $130 · peers $71 Property tax levied by the municipality. Includes Census Bureau estimates for this year. Census line items T01 Property tax
	$43	$407	90% below peerspeers $407	4%

State aid $43 · peers $322 Grants and shared revenue from federal, state and local governments. Includes Census Bureau estimates for this year. Census line items C46 State aid
	$14	$64	77% below peerspeers $64	1%

Selective sales taxes (lodging, utilities, etc.) $14 · peers $33 Lodging, utility, tobacco and other selective sales taxes, licenses and permits, and other taxes. Includes Census Bureau estimates for this year. Census line items T15 Selective sales taxes (lodging, utilities, etc.) T16 Selective sales taxes (lodging, utilities, etc.)
None reported · peers $49	$0	$49	None reported	0%

Palisade reported nothing in this category for FY2016. Interest earnings, fines, rents, special assessments, donations and sales of property.

Peer median of 4 peers · Colorado median of 224 reporting

Money out

Spending

$874

per resident40% below peers

Money out: Palisade spending per resident by category, FY2016, against the peer median. Open a category for its lines and Census item codes.
Category	Per resident	Peer median	vs peers	Share of spending
	$598	$548	9% above peerspeers $548	68%

Water utility $372 · peers $266 Sewer $226 · peers $95 Water, sewer, solid waste, electric and gas utilities, and natural resources. Includes Census Bureau estimates for this year. Census line items E80 Sewer E91 Water utility
	$111	$237	53% below peerspeers $237	13%

Police $111 · peers $235 Police, fire protection, inspection and corrections. Includes Census Bureau estimates for this year. Census line items E62 Police
	$92	$113	19% below peerspeers $113	10%

Libraries $69 · peers $0 Parks & recreation $22 · peers $113 Parks and recreation, libraries, housing and community development. Includes Census Bureau estimates for this year. Census line items E52 Libraries E61 Parks & recreation
	$34	$189	82% below peerspeers $189	4%

Streets & highways $34 · peers $189 Streets and highways, transit, parking and airports. Includes Census Bureau estimates for this year. Census line items E44 Streets & highways
	$30	$242	88% below peerspeers $242	3%

Financial administration $26 · peers $29 Judicial & legal $4 · peers $9 Administration, finance, legal and courts, public buildings and other general government. Includes Census Bureau estimates for this year. Census line items E23 Financial administration E25 Judicial & legal
	$10	$4	2.7× peerspeers $4	1%

Interest on debt $10 · peers $4 Interest paid on the municipality's debt. Includes Census Bureau estimates for this year. Census line items I91 Interest on debt
None reported · peers $6	$0	$6	None reported	0%

Palisade reported nothing in this category for FY2016. Health, hospitals and public welfare.

Peer median of 4 peers · Colorado median of 196 reporting

Palisade 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

Palisade compared with its peer municipalities, FY2016, per resident
Municipality	Revenue	Expenditures	Tax revenue	Sales tax	Debt
PalisadeUtilities: City-owned utilities (water, electric, gas, transit) brought in 42.5% 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.	$1,156	$874	$492	$348	$171
Orchard CityUtilities: City-owned utilities (water, electric, gas, transit) brought in 32.0% 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.	$942	$888	Withheld Orchard City · Tax revenue per resident · FY2016 Reason: Tax revenue per resident is 4% of the peer median We don't publish figures that fail our quality checks until they're verified against the city's audited financial report.	Not reported for this year	Not reported for this year
CedaredgeUtilities: City-owned utilities (water, electric, gas, transit) brought in 18.7% 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.	$2,050	$1,585	$327	$188	$381
Buena VistaUtilities: City-owned utilities (water, electric, gas, transit) brought in 16.3% 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.Regional hub: Sales tax per resident is 1.7× the Colorado median.	$2,170	$1,828	$1,182	$961	$172
SiltUtilities: City-owned utilities (water, electric, gas, transit) brought in 45.7% 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.	$1,095	$1,313	$408	$305	$180
Peer median	$1,572	$1,449	$408	$305	$183

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	$1,156	$1,572	$1,746 (224 reporting)
FY2021	$3,787	$1,453	$2,476 (227 reporting)

Expenditures 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

Expenditures per resident by fiscal year
Year	This city	Peer median	Colorado median
FY2016	$874	$1,449	$1,749 (196 reporting)
FY2021	$2,513	$1,136	$2,208 (220 reporting)

Tax revenue per resident

Fiscal year · nominal dollars, not adjusted for inflation

FY2021 withheld: Tax revenue per resident is 5.0x the peer median

Show data table

Tax revenue per resident by fiscal year
Year	This city	Peer median	Colorado median
FY2016	$492	$408	$705 (193 reporting)
FY2021	Withheld (Tax revenue per resident is 5.0x the peer median)	Benchmark unavailable	$1,072 (201 reporting)

Debt 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

Debt per resident by fiscal year
Year	This city	Peer median	Colorado median
FY2016	$171	$183	$1,072 (220 reporting)
FY2021	$1,474	$558	$1,411 (199 reporting)

Questions about Palisade’s finances

How much revenue does Palisade collect per resident?: Palisade collected $1,156 per resident in FY2016, 34% below the median of the 224 Colorado municipalities reporting that year. See the figure
How does Palisade's spending per resident compare with similar cities?: Palisade spent $874 per resident in FY2016, 40% below the median of its peers: Orchard City, Cedaredge, Buena Vista and Silt. See the figure
How much debt does Palisade have per resident?: Palisade carried $171 of debt per resident in FY2016, 7% below its peers' median. See the figure
Which cities is Palisade compared with?: Palisade is compared with Orchard City, Cedaredge, Buena Vista and Silt: 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): +0.7%/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 Western Slope

Cedaredge$2,015 · FY2021
Meeker$1,182 · FY2021
Rangely$2,278 · FY2021
Olathe$1,276 · FY2021
Orchard City$1,453 · FY2021
Paonia$2,448 · FY2021
Silt$1,780 · FY2023
Parachute$3,247 · FY2021

Revenue per resident, latest published year.

Sources

Annual Survey of State & Local Government Finances 2017 - Individual Unit File · 2017 survey file
U.S. Census Bureau
Retrieved October 12, 2026View source: Annual Survey of State & Local Government Finances 2017 - Individual Unit File (opens in a new tab)
Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2020 - incorporated places · 2020
U.S. Census Bureau
Retrieved October 7, 2026View source: Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2020 - incorporated places (opens in a new tab)

Dataset: Palisade, 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 Palisade’s largest difference from its peers (88% 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.

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Palisade · FY2016 municipal finance benchmarks

FY2016 in brief

FY2016 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

Palisade and its peers

Trends

Questions about Palisade’s finances

Community context

Explore further

Also in Western Slope

Sources

General government is Palisade’s largest difference from its peers (88% below the peer median in FY2016). See how that line moves month to month in your own budget-vs-actual.