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Rocky Ford · FY2022 municipal finance benchmarks

Otero County · Eastern Plains · statutory city · Pop. 3,752 (2025 estimate); FY2022 per-resident figures use 3,783 · Census finance data FY2016, FY2018, FY2019, FY2020, FY2021, FY2022

Latest Census Bureau finance data for Rocky Ford: FY2022. Retrieved Oct 2026. Newer years are added when the Census Bureau publishes them. Why the lag?

City website (opens in a new tab)

Compare

FY2022 in brief

Rocky Ford collected $1,387 per resident (including city-run utilities), 54% below the median of the 72 Colorado municipalities reporting that year, 67% below its peers. Tax revenue per resident sits 54% below its peers, and 76% below the state median. Debt per resident runs 26% above peers.

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

Compared with

Nearest on population, household income and region

FY2022 headline figures

Revenue per resident (definition)

$1,387
67% below peers
Includes city-owned utilities
Peer median
$4,264
CO median · 72 with a published figure
$3,031
Position
Higher than 6% of the 72 reporting
5-year changenominal dollars
Not enough history for a 5-year change
How Colorado compares on revenue per resident

Expenditures per resident (definition)

$1,133
66% below peers
Includes city-owned utilities
Peer median
$3,296
CO median · 71 with a published figure
$3,025
Position
Higher than 6% of the 71 reporting
5-year changenominal dollars
Not enough history for a 5-year change

Tax revenue per resident (definition)

$395
54% below peers
Peer median
$862
CO median · 71 with a published figure
$1,631
Position
Higher than 1% of the 71 reporting
5-year changenominal dollars
Not enough history for a 5-year change

Debt per resident (definition)

$1,349
26% above peers
Peer median
$1,070
CO median · 73 with a published figure
$2,068
Position
Higher than 39% of the 73 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 · $1,387
Reported by the city to the Census Bureau

  1. 1Metric

    $1,387 Total revenue divided by population

    = Total revenue ÷ population

    Full definition: Revenue per resident

  2. 2Inputs

    Total revenue $5.2M ÷ population 3,783 (2022 estimate)

  3. 3Census line items

    • A03 Commercial activities (other) charges
    • A61 Parks & recreation charges
    • A80 Sewer charges
    • A81 Solid waste charges
    • A91 Water utility charges
    • C89 State aid
    • D89 Local government aid
    • T01 Property tax
    • T09 General sales tax
    • T10 Selective sales taxes (lodging, utilities, etc.)
    • T20 Licenses & permits
    • U20 Interest earnings
    • U30 Fines & forfeits
    • U40 Rents
    • U50 Private donations

  4. 4Source file

What the numbers mean

  • Rocky Ford runs city-owned utilities, which add 24.2% 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
  • With about 3,783 residents, small changes in Rocky Ford's budget move per-resident figures a lot. Compare several years, not one.
  • Rocky Ford 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, FY2022. Bars show Rocky Ford; the gold tick is the peer median. How categories work

The biggest difference from peers is Utilities & environment: $159 per resident, 87% below the peer median. On the revenue side, utility & transit charges is 77% below peers.

Money in

Revenue

$1,387
per resident67% below peers
Money in: Rocky Ford revenue per resident by category, FY2022, against the peer median. Open a category for its lines and Census item codes.
CategoryPer residentvs peers
$480in line withpeers $465
$37743% belowpeers $666
$33677% belowpeers $1,429
$16917% abovepeers $145
$1592% belowpeers $197
$895% belowpeers $163
$294% belowpeers $37
Peer median of 5 peers · Colorado median of 72 reporting

Money out

Spending

$1,133
per resident66% below peers
Money out: Rocky Ford spending per resident by category, FY2022, against the peer median. Open a category for its lines and Census item codes.
CategoryPer residentvs peers
$37927% belowpeers $520
$29331% belowpeers $422
$15987% belowpeers $1,236
$13867% belowpeers $421
$11144% belowpeers $200
$5343% abovepeers $37
None reported · peers $28$0None reported
Peer median of 5 peers · Colorado median of 71 reporting

Rocky Ford 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, FY2022. How peers are chosen

Open in Compare
Rocky Ford compared with its peer municipalities, FY2022, per resident
MunicipalityRevenueExpendituresTax revenueSales taxDebt
Rocky FordUtilities: City-owned utilities (water, electric, gas, transit) brought in 24.2% of total revenue in FY2022. Revenue and spending per resident include them, so cities that run their own utilities read higher than cities that don't.$1,387$1,133$395$377$1,349
BrushUtilities: City-owned utilities (water, electric, gas, transit) brought in 16.5% of total revenue in FY2022. Revenue and spending per resident include them, so cities that run their own utilities read higher than cities that don't.$2,216$2,019$862$634$972
HolyokeUtilities: City-owned utilities (water, electric, gas, transit) brought in 53.1% of total revenue in FY2022. Revenue and spending per resident include them, so cities that run their own utilities read higher than cities that don't.$2,689$2,675$533$309Not reported for this year
LamarUtilities: City-owned utilities (water, electric, gas, transit) brought in 55.8% of total revenue in FY2022. Revenue and spending per resident include them, so cities that run their own utilities read higher than cities that don't.$4,264$3,873$804$666$1,172
ElizabethUtilities: City-owned utilities (water, electric, gas, transit) brought in 26.5% of total revenue in FY2022. 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.$4,481$3,296$2,557$2,073$1,168
Fort MorganUtilities: City-owned utilities (water, electric, gas, transit) brought in 57.5% of total revenue in FY2022. Revenue and spending per resident include them, so cities that run their own utilities read higher than cities that don't.$5,964$5,895$1,883$1,194$760
Peer median$4,264$3,296$862$666$1,070

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
FY2018 $957 to FY2022 $1,387. 1 year withheld.$0$2.1K$4.3K’16’18’19’20’21’22Peer median FY2018: $2,195Peer median FY2019: $3,074Peer median FY2020: $3,701Peer median FY2021: $3,090Peer median FY2022: $4,264Colorado median FY2016: $1,746 (all 224 municipalities reporting)Colorado median FY2021: $2,476 (all 227 municipalities reporting)FY2018: $957FY2019: $1,483FY2020: $1,287FY2021: $1,354FY2022: $1,387FY2016: withheld — Revenue per resident is 814% of this city's typical level in other years

Fiscal year · nominal dollars, not adjusted for inflation

  • FY2016 withheld: Revenue per resident is 814% of this city's typical level in other years

Peer group changed in FY2018, FY2019, FY2020, FY2021, FY2022. 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
FY2016Withheld (Revenue per resident is 814% of this city's typical level in other years)Benchmark unavailable$1,746 (224 reporting)
FY2018$957$2,195$2,529 (75 reporting, sample year)
FY2019$1,483$3,074$2,694 (73 reporting, sample year)
FY2020$1,287$3,701$2,739 (76 reporting, sample year)
FY2021$1,354$3,090$2,476 (227 reporting)
FY2022$1,387$4,264$3,031 (72 reporting, sample year)
Expenditures per resident
FY2018 $928 to FY2022 $1,133. 2 years withheld.$0$1.7K$3.4K’16’18’19’20’21’22Peer median FY2018: $2,128Peer median FY2020: $3,450Peer median FY2021: $2,781Peer median FY2022: $3,296Colorado median FY2016: $1,749 (all 224 municipalities reporting)Colorado median FY2021: $2,208 (all 227 municipalities reporting)FY2018: $928FY2020: $1,259FY2021: $1,928FY2022: $1,133. Excludes equipment purchases and payments to other governments, which Census stopped reporting after FY2021.FY2016: withheld — Expenditures per resident is 728% of this city's typical level in other yearsFY2019: withheld — Expenditures per resident is 367% of this city's typical level in other years

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.

  • FY2016 withheld: Expenditures per resident is 728% of this city's typical level in other years
  • FY2019 withheld: Expenditures per resident is 367% of this city's typical level in other years

Peer group changed in FY2018, FY2019, FY2020, FY2021, FY2022, 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
FY2016Withheld (Expenditures per resident is 728% of this city's typical level in other years)Benchmark unavailable$1,749 (196 reporting)
FY2018$928$2,128$2,387 (74 reporting, sample year)
FY2019Withheld (Expenditures per resident is 367% of this city's typical level in other years)Benchmark unavailable$2,759 (71 reporting, sample year)
FY2020$1,259$3,450$2,485 (74 reporting, sample year)
FY2021$1,928$2,781$2,208 (220 reporting)
FY2022$1,133$3,296$3,025 (71 reporting, sample year)
Tax revenue per resident
FY2018 $307 to FY2022 $395. 2 years withheld.$0$536$1.1K’16’18’19’20’21’22Peer median FY2018: $712Peer median FY2020: $742Peer median FY2021: $844Peer median FY2022: $862Colorado median FY2016: $705 (all 224 municipalities reporting)Colorado median FY2021: $1,072 (all 227 municipalities reporting)FY2018: $307FY2020: $395FY2021: $515FY2022: $395FY2016: withheld — Tax revenue per resident is 2062% of this city's typical level in other yearsFY2019: withheld — Tax revenue per resident is 25% of this city's typical level in other years

Fiscal year · nominal dollars, not adjusted for inflation

  • FY2016 withheld: Tax revenue per resident is 2062% of this city's typical level in other years
  • FY2019 withheld: Tax revenue per resident is 25% of this city's typical level in other years

Peer group changed in FY2018, FY2019, FY2021, FY2022. 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
FY2016Withheld (Tax revenue per resident is 2062% of this city's typical level in other years)Benchmark unavailable$705 (193 reporting)
FY2018$307$712$1,173 (70 reporting, sample year)
FY2019Withheld (Tax revenue per resident is 25% of this city's typical level in other years)Benchmark unavailable$1,187 (71 reporting, sample year)
FY2020$395$742$1,238 (72 reporting, sample year)
FY2021$515$844$1,072 (201 reporting)
FY2022$395$862$1,631 (71 reporting, sample year)
Debt per resident
FY2016 $2,888 to FY2022 $1,349.$0$1.8K$3.5K’16’18’19’20’21’22Peer median FY2016: $1,351Peer median FY2019: $1,649Peer median FY2020: $1,397Peer median FY2021: $1,408Peer median FY2022: $1,070Colorado median FY2016: $1,072 (all 224 municipalities reporting)Colorado median FY2021: $1,411 (all 227 municipalities reporting)FY2016: $2,888FY2019: $1,567FY2020: $1,504FY2021: $3,549FY2022: $1,349

Fiscal year · nominal dollars, not adjusted for inflation

Peer group changed in FY2019, FY2021, FY2022. 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$2,888$1,351$1,072 (220 reporting)
FY2018———
FY2019$1,567$1,649$1,627 (69 reporting, sample year)
FY2020$1,504$1,397$1,798 (71 reporting, sample year)
FY2021$3,549$1,408$1,411 (199 reporting)
FY2022$1,349$1,070$2,068 (73 reporting, sample year)

Questions about Rocky Ford’s finances

How much revenue does Rocky Ford collect per resident?
Rocky Ford collected $1,387 per resident in FY2022, 54% below the median of the 72 Colorado municipalities reporting that year. See the figure
How does Rocky Ford's spending per resident compare with similar cities?
Rocky Ford spent $1,133 per resident in FY2022, 66% below the median of its peers: Brush, Holyoke, Lamar, Elizabeth and Fort Morgan. See the figure
How much debt does Rocky Ford have per resident?
Rocky Ford carried $1,349 of debt per resident in FY2022, 26% above its peers' median. See the figure
Which cities is Rocky Ford compared with?
Rocky Ford is compared with Brush, Holyoke, Lamar, Elizabeth and Fort Morgan: 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)
−0.3%/yr
2022 estimate
Median household income
$31.4K
2022 estimate
Poverty rate
46.1%
2022 estimate
Median home value
$101.2K
2022 estimate
Housing vacancy rate
23.5%
2022 estimate

Explore further

Also in Eastern Plains

Revenue per resident, latest published year.

Sources

Dataset: Rocky Ford, 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 Rocky Ford’s largest difference from its peers (87% below the peer median in FY2022). 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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