South Fork · FY2021 municipal finance benchmarks

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

Rio Grande County · San Luis Valley · statutory town · Pop. 506 (2025 estimate); FY2021 per-resident figures use 511 · Census finance data FY2016, FY2021

Latest Census Bureau finance data for South Fork: 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

South Fork collected $2,963 per resident (including city-run utilities), 20% above the median of the 227 Colorado municipalities reporting that year, 9% below its peers. Tax revenue per resident sits 2.2× its peers, and 2.1× the state median.

Regional hub: sales tax per resident is 2.6× the Colorado median.

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

Compared with

Nearest on population, household income and region

Revenue per resident (definition)

$2,963

9% below peers

Includes city-owned utilities

Peer median: $3,272
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 63% of the 227 reporting
5-year changenominal dollars: +11.4%/yr

How Colorado compares on revenue per resident

Expenditures per resident (definition)

$2,039

21% above peers

Includes city-owned utilities

Peer median: $1,686
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 47% of the 220 reporting
5-year changenominal dollars: +7.0%/yr

Tax revenue per resident (definition)

$2,286

2.2× 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 84% of the 201 reporting
5-year changenominal dollars: +11.0%/yr

Debt per resident (definition)

Peer median: Not reported for this year
CO median: Not reported for this year
Position: Not reported for this year
5-year change: Not reported for this year

How Colorado compares on debt per resident

How this number was calculated

Revenue per resident · $2,963

Reported by the city to the Census Bureau

1Metric
$2,963 Total revenue divided by population
= Total revenue ÷ population
Full definition: Revenue per resident
2Inputs
Total revenue $1.5M ÷ population 511 (2021 estimate)
3Census line items
- A91 Water utility charges
- C89 State aid
- D89 Local government aid
- T09 General sales tax
- T24 Licenses & permits
- T28 Licenses & permits
- U30 Fines & forfeits
- U50 Private donations
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

South Fork 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
With about 511 residents, small changes in South Fork's budget move per-resident figures a lot. Compare several years, not one.
South Fork 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 South Fork; the gold tick is the peer median. How categories work

Regional hub: sales tax per resident is 2.6× 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 General government: $1,266 per resident, 66% above the peer median. On the revenue side, sales tax is 2.7× peers.

Money in

Revenue

$2,963

per resident9% below peers

Money in: South Fork 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
	$2,250	$832	2.7× peerspeers $832	76%

General sales tax $2,250 · peers $832 General sales and use tax. Census line items T09 General sales tax
	$434	$836	48% below peerspeers $836	15%

Water utility charges $434 · peers $612 Revenue of city-owned water, electric, gas and transit systems. Census line items A91 Water utility charges
	$231	$65	3.5× peerspeers $65	8%

Fines & forfeits $133 · peers $2 Private donations $98 · peers $0 Interest earnings, fines, rents, special assessments, donations and sales of property. Census line items U30 Fines & forfeits U50 Private donations
	$35	$43	17% below peerspeers $43	1%

Licenses & permits $35 · peers $19 Lodging, utility, tobacco and other selective sales taxes, licenses and permits, and other taxes. Census line items T24 Licenses & permits T28 Licenses & permits
	$12	$519	98% below peerspeers $519	<1%

Local government aid $6 · peers $246 State aid $6 · peers $243 Grants and shared revenue from federal, state and local governments. Census line items C89 State aid D89 Local government aid
None reported · peers $442	$0	$442	None reported	0%

South Fork reported nothing in this category for FY2021. Charges for services such as sewer, trash, recreation, parking and airports.
None reported · peers $145	$0	$145	None reported	0%

South Fork reported nothing in this category for FY2021. Property tax levied by the municipality.

Peer median of 4 peers · Colorado median of 227 reporting

Money out

Spending

$2,039

per resident21% above peers

Money out: South Fork 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
	$1,266	$762	66% above peerspeers $762	62%

Central staff services $920 · peers $154 General public buildings $250 · peers $0 incl. $164 construction Financial administration $74 · peers $0 Judicial & legal $22 · peers $5 incl. $164 construction Administration, finance, legal and courts, public buildings and other general government. Census line items E23 Financial administration E25 Judicial & legal E29 Central staff services E31 General public buildings F31 General public buildings
	$421	$596	29% below peerspeers $596	21%

Water utility $421 · peers $457 Water, sewer, solid waste, electric and gas utilities, and natural resources. Census line items E91 Water utility
	$231	$172	34% above peerspeers $172	11%

Police $202 · peers $135 Protective inspection & regulation $29 · peers $0 Police, fire protection, inspection and corrections. Census line items E62 Police E66 Protective inspection & regulation
	$67	$123	46% below peerspeers $123	3%

Streets & highways $67 · peers $123 Streets and highways, transit, parking and airports. Census line items E44 Streets & highways
	$55	$69	21% below peerspeers $69	3%

Parks & recreation $55 · peers $37 incl. $55 construction incl. $55 construction Parks and recreation, libraries, housing and community development. Census line items F61 Parks & recreation
None reported · peers $54	$0	$54	None reported	0%

South Fork reported nothing in this category for FY2021. Interest paid on the municipality's debt.

Peer median of 4 peers · Colorado median of 220 reporting

South Fork 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

South Fork compared with its peer municipalities, FY2021, per resident
Municipality	Revenue	Expenditures	Tax revenue	Sales tax	Debt
South ForkUtilities: 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 2.6× the Colorado median.	$2,963	$2,039	$2,286	$2,250	Not reported for this year
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
SaguacheUtilities: City-owned utilities (water, electric, gas, transit) brought in 13.4% 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.	$2,200	$1,423	$935	$740	Not reported for this year
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
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	$3,272	$1,686	$1,020	$832	Not reported for this year

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	$1,730	$3,267	$1,746 (224 reporting)
FY2021	$2,963	$3,272	$2,476 (227 reporting)

Expenditures per resident

Fiscal year · nominal dollars, not adjusted for inflation

Show data table

Expenditures per resident by fiscal year
Year	This city	Peer median	Colorado median
FY2016	$1,456	Benchmark unavailable	$1,749 (196 reporting)
FY2021	$2,039	$1,686	$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	$1,358	$1,059	$705 (193 reporting)
FY2021	$2,286	$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	$126	$1,950	$1,072 (220 reporting)
FY2021	—	—	—

Questions about South Fork’s finances

How much revenue does South Fork collect per resident?: South Fork collected $2,963 per resident in FY2021, 20% above the median of the 227 Colorado municipalities reporting that year. See the figure
How does South Fork's spending per resident compare with similar cities?: South Fork spent $2,039 per resident in FY2021, 21% above the median of its peers: Norwood, Saguache, Lake City and Walden. See the figure
Which cities is South Fork compared with?: South Fork is compared with Norwood, Saguache, Lake City 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): +3.5%/yr; 2021 estimate
Median household income: $56.9K; 2021 estimate
Poverty rate: 9.8%; 2021 estimate
Median home value: $288K; 2021 estimate
Housing vacancy rate: 71.7%; 2021 estimate

Explore further

Also in San Luis Valley

Saguache$2,200 · FY2021
San Luis$1,744 · FY2021
Antonito$2,932 · FY2021
Blanca$1,843 · FY2021
Romeo$1,945 · FY2021
La Jara$1,548 · FY2021
Creede$3,786 · FY2016
Crestone$5,885 · 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: South Fork, 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 South Fork’s largest difference from its peers (66% 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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South Fork · 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

South Fork and its peers

Trends

Questions about South Fork’s finances

Community context

Explore further

Also in San Luis Valley

Sources

General government is South Fork’s largest difference from its peers (66% above the peer median in FY2021). See how that line moves month to month in your own budget-vs-actual.