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Salida · FY2021 municipal finance benchmarks

Chaffee County · Central Mountains & Resort · statutory city · Pop. 5,985 (2025 estimate); FY2021 per-resident figures use 5,828 · 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 Salida: 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

Salida collected $3,792 per resident (including city-run utilities), 53% above the median of the 227 Colorado municipalities reporting that year, 27% below its peers. Tax revenue per resident sits 47% below its peers, but 58% above the state median. Debt per resident runs 37% below peers.

Regional hub: sales tax per resident is 1.9× 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)

$3,792
27% below peers
Includes city-owned utilities
Peer median
$5,212
CO median · 227 with a published figure
$2,476
Position
Higher than 75% of the 227 reporting
5-year changenominal dollars
+10.0%/yr
How Colorado compares on revenue per resident

Expenditures per resident (definition)

$3,352
8% below peers
Includes city-owned utilities
Peer median
$3,661
CO median · 220 with a published figure
$2,208
Position
Higher than 73% of the 220 reporting
5-year changenominal dollars
+5.5%/yr

Tax revenue per resident (definition)

$1,688
47% below peers
Peer median
$3,193
CO median · 201 with a published figure
$1,072
Position
Higher than 73% of the 201 reporting
5-year changenominal dollars
+5.6%/yr

Debt per resident (definition)

$2,102
37% below peers
Peer median
$3,314
CO median · 199 with a published figure
$1,411
Position
Higher than 67% of the 199 reporting
5-year changenominal dollars
−4.9%/yr
How Colorado compares on debt per resident

How this number was calculated

Revenue per resident · $3,792
Reported by the city to the Census Bureau

  1. 1Metric

    $3,792 Total revenue divided by population

    = Total revenue ÷ population

    Full definition: Revenue per resident

  2. 2Inputs

    Total revenue $22.1M ÷ population 5,828 (2021 estimate)

  3. 3Census line items

    • A61 Parks & recreation charges
    • A80 Sewer charges
    • A91 Water utility charges
    • B89 Federal aid
    • C89 State aid
    • D89 Local government aid
    • T09 General sales tax
    • T20 Licenses & permits
    • T28 Licenses & permits
    • T29 Licenses & permits
    • U11 Sale of property
    • U20 Interest earnings
    • U30 Fines & forfeits
    • U40 Rents
    • U50 Private donations
    • U99 Miscellaneous

  4. 4Source file

What the numbers mean

  • Salida runs city-owned utilities, which add 14.7% 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
  • Salida 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 Salida; the gold tick is the peer median. How categories work

Regional hub: sales tax per resident is 1.9× 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 Public safety: $774 per resident, 59% above the peer median. On the revenue side, other taxes is 93% below peers.

Money in

Revenue

$3,792
per resident27% below peers
Money in: Salida revenue per resident by category, FY2021, against the peer median. Open a category for its lines and Census item codes.
CategoryPer residentvs peers
$1,6158% belowpeers $1,761
$85331% abovepeers $652
$584in line withpeers $613
$5563.7×peers $151
$11158% belowpeers $265
$7493% belowpeers $1,028
None reported · peers $494$0None reported
Peer median of 4 peers · Colorado median of 227 reporting

Money out

Spending

$3,352
per resident8% below peers
Money out: Salida spending per resident by category, FY2021, against the peer median. Open a category for its lines and Census item codes.
CategoryPer residentvs peers
$84016% abovepeers $723
$77459% abovepeers $486
$6755% belowpeers $714
$60132% belowpeers $889
$41038% belowpeers $666
$5145% belowpeers $94
Peer median of 5 peers · Colorado median of 220 reporting

Salida 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
Salida compared with its peer municipalities, FY2021, per resident
MunicipalityRevenueExpendituresTax revenueSales taxDebt
SalidaUtilities: City-owned utilities (water, electric, gas, transit) brought in 14.7% 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 1.9× the Colorado median.$3,792$3,352$1,688$1,615$2,102
AvonUtilities: City-owned utilities (water, electric, gas, transit) brought in 0.5% 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 2.2× the Colorado median.$6,067$2,611$4,481$1,901$3,314
GunnisonUtilities: City-owned utilities (water, electric, gas, transit) brought in 28.5% 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 1.9× the Colorado median.$4,357$3,661$1,905$1,622$2,320
CarbondaleUtilities: City-owned utilities (water, electric, gas, transit) brought in 9.7% 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.$2,814$2,114$1,751$1,286$90
VailRegional hub: Sales tax per resident is 8.6× the Colorado median.$21,953$22,889$16,803$7,389$7,163
Peer median$5,212$3,661$3,193$1,901$3,314

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 $2,353 to FY2023 $3,661.$0$8.1K$16.3K’16’18’19’20’21’22’23Peer median FY2016: $4,781Peer median FY2018: $9,012Peer median FY2019: $9,560Peer median FY2020: $13,689Peer median FY2021: $5,212Peer median FY2022: $16,253Peer median FY2023: $7,045Colorado median FY2016: $1,746 (all 224 municipalities reporting)Colorado median FY2021: $2,476 (all 227 municipalities reporting)FY2016: $2,353FY2018: $3,023FY2019: $2,963FY2020: $2,616FY2021: $3,792FY2022: $3,732FY2023: $3,661

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$2,353$4,781$1,746 (224 reporting)
FY2018$3,023$9,012$2,529 (75 reporting, sample year)
FY2019$2,963$9,560$2,694 (73 reporting, sample year)
FY2020$2,616$13,689$2,739 (76 reporting, sample year)
FY2021$3,792$5,212$2,476 (227 reporting)
FY2022$3,732$16,253$3,031 (72 reporting, sample year)
FY2023$3,661$7,045$3,580 (97 reporting, sample year)
Expenditures per resident
FY2016 $2,566 to FY2023 $4,222.$0$6.6K$13.2K’16’18’19’20’21’22’23Peer median FY2016: $3,919Peer median FY2018: $5,048Peer median FY2019: $8,041Peer median FY2020: $10,939Peer median FY2021: $3,661Peer median FY2022: $13,153Peer median FY2023: $4,441Colorado median FY2016: $1,749 (all 224 municipalities reporting)Colorado median FY2021: $2,208 (all 227 municipalities reporting)FY2016: $2,566FY2018: $2,875FY2019: $2,893FY2020: $2,246FY2021: $3,352FY2022: $3,025. Excludes equipment purchases and payments to other governments, which Census stopped reporting after FY2021.FY2023: $4,222. 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, FY2019, 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$2,566$3,919$1,749 (196 reporting)
FY2018$2,875$5,048$2,387 (74 reporting, sample year)
FY2019$2,893$8,041$2,759 (71 reporting, sample year)
FY2020$2,246$10,939$2,485 (74 reporting, sample year)
FY2021$3,352$3,661$2,208 (220 reporting)
FY2022$3,025$13,153$3,025 (71 reporting, sample year)
FY2023$4,222$4,441$3,680 (91 reporting, sample year)
Tax revenue per resident
FY2016 $1,288 to FY2023 $1,788. 1 year withheld.$0$4K$8K’16’18’19’20’21’22’23Peer median FY2016: $3,001Peer median FY2018: $1,951Peer median FY2019: $2,811Peer median FY2021: $3,193Peer median FY2022: $8,029Peer median FY2023: $3,192Colorado median FY2016: $705 (all 224 municipalities reporting)Colorado median FY2021: $1,072 (all 227 municipalities reporting)FY2016: $1,288FY2018: $1,186FY2019: $1,265FY2021: $1,688FY2022: $1,776FY2023: $1,788FY2020: withheld — Tax revenue per resident is 14% of the peer median

Fiscal year · nominal dollars, not adjusted for inflation

  • FY2020 withheld: Tax revenue per resident is 14% of the peer median

Peer group changed in FY2018, FY2019, 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$1,288$3,001$705 (193 reporting)
FY2018$1,186$1,951$1,173 (70 reporting, sample year)
FY2019$1,265$2,811$1,187 (71 reporting, sample year)
FY2020Withheld (Tax revenue per resident is 14% of the peer median)Benchmark unavailable$1,238 (72 reporting, sample year)
FY2021$1,688$3,193$1,072 (201 reporting)
FY2022$1,776$8,029$1,631 (71 reporting, sample year)
FY2023$1,788$3,192$1,726 (90 reporting, sample year)
Debt per resident
FY2016 $2,704 to FY2023 $2,556.$0$3.2K$6.4K’16’18’19’20’21’22’23Peer median FY2016: $1,362Peer median FY2018: $1,477Peer median FY2019: $1,393Peer median FY2020: $6,399Peer median FY2021: $3,314Peer median FY2022: $4,572Peer median FY2023: $3,022Colorado median FY2016: $1,072 (all 224 municipalities reporting)Colorado median FY2021: $1,411 (all 227 municipalities reporting)FY2016: $2,704FY2018: $2,415FY2019: $2,706FY2020: $579FY2021: $2,102FY2022: $2,532FY2023: $2,556

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$2,704$1,362$1,072 (220 reporting)
FY2018$2,415$1,477$1,644 (70 reporting, sample year)
FY2019$2,706$1,393$1,627 (69 reporting, sample year)
FY2020$579$6,399$1,798 (71 reporting, sample year)
FY2021$2,102$3,314$1,411 (199 reporting)
FY2022$2,532$4,572$2,068 (73 reporting, sample year)
FY2023$2,556$3,022$2,130 (91 reporting, sample year)

Questions about Salida’s finances

How much revenue does Salida collect per resident?
Salida collected $3,792 per resident in FY2021, 53% above the median of the 227 Colorado municipalities reporting that year. See the figure
How does Salida's spending per resident compare with similar cities?
Salida spent $3,352 per resident in FY2021, 8% below the median of its peers: Avon, Gunnison, Carbondale and Vail. See the figure
How much debt does Salida have per resident?
Salida carried $2,102 of debt per resident in FY2021, 37% below its peers' median. See the figure
Which cities is Salida compared with?
Salida is compared with Avon, Gunnison, Carbondale and Vail: 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)
+1.5%/yr
2021 estimate
Median household income
$62.7K
2021 estimate
Poverty rate
17.1%
2021 estimate
Median home value
$377.5K
2021 estimate
Housing vacancy rate
13.8%
2021 estimate

Explore further

Also in Central Mountains & Resort

Revenue per resident, latest published year.

Sources

Dataset: Salida, 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

Public safety is Salida’s largest difference from its peers (59% above 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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