Orivian

Sterling · FY2021 municipal finance benchmarks

Logan County · Eastern Plains · home rule municipality · Pop. 13,054 (2025 estimate); FY2021 per-resident figures use 13,212 · Census finance data FY2016, FY2021, FY2023

You’re viewing FY2021. See the latest view (FY2023). Latest Census Bureau finance data for Sterling: 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

Sterling collected $2,133 per resident (including city-run utilities), 14% below the median of the 227 Colorado municipalities reporting that year, 46% below its peers. Tax revenue per resident sits 22% above its peers, but 15% below the state median. Debt per resident runs 2.5× peers.

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)

$2,133
46% below peers
Includes city-owned utilities
Peer median
$3,970
CO median · 227 with a published figure
$2,476
Position
Higher than 39% of the 227 reporting
5-year changenominal dollars
Not enough history for a 5-year change
How Colorado compares on revenue per resident

Expenditures per resident (definition)

$2,266
34% below peers
Includes city-owned utilities
Peer median
$3,440
CO median · 220 with a published figure
$2,208
Position
Higher than 52% of the 220 reporting
5-year changenominal dollars
Not enough history for a 5-year change

Tax revenue per resident (definition)

$911
22% above peers
Peer median
$748
CO median · 201 with a published figure
$1,072
Position
Higher than 38% of the 201 reporting
5-year changenominal dollars
Not enough history for a 5-year change

Debt per resident (definition)

$3,846
2.5× peers
Peer median
$1,553
CO median · 199 with a published figure
$1,411
Position
Higher than 84% of the 199 reporting
5-year changenominal dollars
+14.7%/yr
How Colorado compares on debt per resident

How this number was calculated

Revenue per resident · $2,133
Reported by the city to the Census Bureau

  1. 1Metric

    $2,133 Total revenue divided by population

    = Total revenue ÷ population

    Full definition: Revenue per resident

  2. 2Inputs

    Total revenue $28.2M ÷ population 13,212 (2021 estimate)

  3. 3Census line items

    • A03 Commercial activities (other) charges
    • A44 Streets & highways charges
    • A61 Parks & recreation charges
    • A80 Sewer charges
    • A81 Solid waste charges
    • A89 General government (other) charges
    • A91 Water utility charges
    • B89 Federal aid
    • C89 State aid
    • D89 Local government aid
    • T01 Property tax
    • T09 General sales tax
    • T15 Selective sales taxes (lodging, utilities, etc.)
    • T19 Selective sales taxes (lodging, utilities, etc.)
    • T28 Licenses & permits
    • T29 Licenses & permits
    • U01 Special assessments
    • U11 Sale of property
    • U20 Interest earnings
    • U30 Fines & forfeits
    • U40 Rents
    • U50 Private donations
    • U99 Miscellaneous

  4. 4Source file

What the numbers mean

  • Sterling runs city-owned utilities, which add 22.4% 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
  • Debt per resident is 2.5× the peer median. One large bond issue can do this; check the city's annual financial report for what it funded.

Where the money comes from and where it goes

Per resident, FY2021. Bars show Sterling; the gold tick is the peer median. How categories work

The biggest difference from peers is Utilities & environment: $995 per resident, 26% above the peer median. On the revenue side, utility & transit charges is 77% below peers.

Money in

Revenue

$2,133
per resident46% below peers
Money in: Sterling revenue per resident by category, FY2021, against the peer median. Open a category for its lines and Census item codes.
CategoryPer residentvs peers
$72014% abovepeers $632
$47777% belowpeers $2,036
$36528% belowpeers $505
$212in line withpeers $212
$16722% abovepeers $136
$10514% abovepeers $92
$8611% abovepeers $77
Peer median of 5 peers · Colorado median of 227 reporting

Money out

Spending

$2,266
per resident34% below peers
Money out: Sterling spending per resident by category, FY2021, against the peer median. Open a category for its lines and Census item codes.
CategoryPer residentvs peers
$99526% abovepeers $792
$35323% belowpeers $457
$3216% belowpeers $343
$20615% abovepeers $178
$16135% belowpeers $248
$1602.6×peers $62
$5017% belowpeers $59
$1963% belowpeers $51
Peer median of 5 peers · Colorado median of 220 reporting

Sterling 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
Sterling compared with its peer municipalities, FY2021, per resident
MunicipalityRevenueExpendituresTax revenueSales taxDebt
SterlingUtilities: City-owned utilities (water, electric, gas, transit) brought in 22.4% 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.$2,133$2,266$911$720$3,846
Fort MorganUtilities: City-owned utilities (water, electric, gas, transit) brought in 56.8% 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.$5,687$5,929$1,853$1,187$850
LamarUtilities: City-owned utilities (water, electric, gas, transit) brought in 50.1% 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.$4,702$3,440$747$632$1,553
La JuntaUtilities: City-owned utilities (water, electric, gas, transit) brought in 51.3% 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.$3,970$4,386$748$646$2,418
BrushUtilities: 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.$2,212$1,847$879$632$986
Rocky FordUtilities: City-owned utilities (water, electric, gas, transit) brought in 22.8% 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.$1,354$1,928$515$352$3,549
Peer median$3,970$3,440$748$632$1,553

Utilities marks a municipality whose revenue and spending include city-owned utilities (water, electric, gas, transit), which raises its per-resident totals.

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
FY2021 $2,133 to FY2023 $2,429. 1 year withheld.$0$2.1K$4.3K’16’21’23Peer median FY2021: $3,970Peer median FY2023: $4,292Colorado median FY2016: $1,746 (all 224 municipalities reporting)Colorado median FY2021: $2,476 (all 227 municipalities reporting)FY2021: $2,133FY2023: $2,429FY2016: withheld — Revenue per resident is 2% of this city's typical level in other years

Fiscal year · nominal dollars, not adjusted for inflation

  • FY2016 withheld: Revenue per resident is 2% of this city's typical level in other years

Peer group changed in FY2021, 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
FY2016Withheld (Revenue per resident is 2% of this city's typical level in other years)Benchmark unavailable$1,746 (224 reporting)
FY2021$2,133$3,970$2,476 (227 reporting)
FY2023$2,429$4,292$3,580 (97 reporting, sample year)
Expenditures per resident
FY2021 $2,266 to FY2023 $2,309. 1 year withheld.$0$2.1K$4.2K’16’21’23Peer median FY2021: $3,440Peer median FY2023: $4,235Colorado median FY2016: $1,749 (all 224 municipalities reporting)Colorado median FY2021: $2,208 (all 227 municipalities reporting)FY2021: $2,266FY2023: $2,309. Excludes equipment purchases and payments to other governments, which Census stopped reporting after FY2021.FY2016: withheld — Expenditures per resident is 5% 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 5% of this city's typical level in other years

Peer group changed in FY2021, FY2023. 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 5% of this city's typical level in other years)Benchmark unavailable$1,749 (196 reporting)
FY2021$2,266$3,440$2,208 (220 reporting)
FY2023$2,309$4,235$3,680 (91 reporting, sample year)
Tax revenue per resident
FY2021 $911 to FY2023 $976. 1 year withheld.$0$536$1.1K’16’21’23Peer median FY2021: $748Peer median FY2023: $1,023Colorado median FY2016: $705 (all 224 municipalities reporting)Colorado median FY2021: $1,072 (all 227 municipalities reporting)FY2021: $911FY2023: $976FY2016: withheld — Tax revenue per resident is 5% of this city's typical level in other years

Fiscal year · nominal dollars, not adjusted for inflation

  • FY2016 withheld: Tax revenue per resident is 5% of this city's typical level in other years

Peer group changed in FY2021, 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
FY2016Withheld (Tax revenue per resident is 5% of this city's typical level in other years)Benchmark unavailable$705 (193 reporting)
FY2021$911$748$1,072 (201 reporting)
FY2023$976$1,023$1,726 (90 reporting, sample year)
Debt per resident
FY2016 $1,935 to FY2023 $5,897.$0$2.9K$5.9K’16’21’23Peer median FY2016: $1,351Peer median FY2021: $1,553Peer median FY2023: $1,392Colorado median FY2016: $1,072 (all 224 municipalities reporting)Colorado median FY2021: $1,411 (all 227 municipalities reporting)FY2016: $1,935FY2021: $3,846FY2023: $5,897

Fiscal year · nominal dollars, not adjusted for inflation

Peer group changed in FY2021, 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$1,935$1,351$1,072 (220 reporting)
FY2021$3,846$1,553$1,411 (199 reporting)
FY2023$5,897$1,392$2,130 (91 reporting, sample year)

Questions about Sterling’s finances

How much revenue does Sterling collect per resident?
Sterling collected $2,133 per resident in FY2021, 14% below the median of the 227 Colorado municipalities reporting that year. See the figure
How does Sterling's spending per resident compare with similar cities?
Sterling spent $2,266 per resident in FY2021, 34% below the median of its peers: Fort Morgan, Lamar, La Junta, Brush and Rocky Ford. See the figure
How much debt does Sterling have per resident?
Sterling carried $3,846 of debt per resident in FY2021, 2.5× its peers' median. See the figure
Which cities is Sterling compared with?
Sterling is compared with Fort Morgan, Lamar, La Junta, Brush and Rocky Ford: 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)
−1.9%/yr
2021 estimate
Median household income
$41.2K
2021 estimate
Poverty rate
13.0%
2021 estimate
Median home value
$149.7K
2021 estimate
Housing vacancy rate
8.1%
2021 estimate

Explore further

Also in Eastern Plains

Revenue per resident, latest published year.

Sources

Dataset: Sterling, 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 Sterling’s largest difference from its peers (26% 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.

See how it worksTalk to us
Book a walkthrough