Orivian

Vail · FY2023 municipal finance benchmarks

Eagle County · Central Mountains & Resort · home rule municipality · Pop. 4,407 (2025 estimate); FY2023 per-resident figures use 4,535 · Census finance data FY2016–FY2023

Latest Census Bureau finance data for Vail: 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

FY2023 in brief

Vail collected $28,156 per resident, 7.9× the median of the 97 Colorado municipalities reporting that year, 3.3× its peers. Tax revenue per resident sits 2.2× its peers, and 11.3× the state median. Debt per resident runs 2.8× peers.

Regional hub: sales tax per resident is 9.1× the Colorado median.

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

Compared with

Nearest on population, household income and region

FY2023 headline figures

Revenue per resident (definition)

$28,156
3.3× peers
Peer median
$8,639
CO median · 97 with a published figure
$3,580
Position
Higher than 99% of the 97 reporting
5-year changenominal dollars
+13.9%/yr
How Colorado compares on revenue per resident

Expenditures per resident (definition)

$25,065
2.0× peers
Peer median
$12,413
CO median · 91 with a published figure
$3,680
Position
Higher than 98% of the 91 reporting
5-year changenominal dollars
+11.5%/yr

Tax revenue per resident (definition)

$19,515
2.2× peers
Peer median
$8,982
CO median · 90 with a published figure
$1,726
Position
Highest of the 90 reporting
5-year changenominal dollars
+12.5%/yr

Debt per resident (definition)

$8,486
2.8× peers
Peer median
$3,074
CO median · 91 with a published figure
$2,130
Position
Higher than 88% of the 91 reporting
5-year changenominal dollars
+41.9%/yr
How Colorado compares on debt per resident

How this number was calculated

Revenue per resident · $28,156
Reported by the city to the Census Bureau

  1. 1Metric

    $28,156 Total revenue divided by population

    = Total revenue ÷ population

    Full definition: Revenue per resident

  2. 2Inputs

    Total revenue $127.7M ÷ population 4,535 (2023 estimate)

  3. 3Census line items

    • A50 Housing & community development charges
    • A60 Parking charges
    • A89 General government (other) charges
    • B89 Federal aid
    • C89 State aid
    • D89 Local government aid
    • T01 Property tax
    • T09 General sales tax
    • T11 Selective sales taxes (lodging, utilities, etc.)
    • T19 Selective sales taxes (lodging, utilities, etc.)
    • T20 Licenses & permits
    • T28 Licenses & permits
    • T29 Licenses & permits
    • T51 Other taxes
    • U11 Sale of property
    • U20 Interest earnings
    • U30 Fines & forfeits
    • U40 Rents
    • U50 Private donations

  4. 4Source file

What the numbers mean

  • With about 4,535 residents, small changes in Vail's budget move per-resident figures a lot. Compare several years, not one.
  • Debt per resident is 2.8× 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, FY2023. Bars show Vail; the gold tick is the peer median. How categories work

Regional hub: sales tax per resident is 9.1× 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: $9,664 per resident, 77% above the peer median. On the revenue side, sales tax is 2.1× peers.

Money in

Revenue

$28,156
per resident3.3× peers
Money in: Vail revenue per resident by category, FY2023, against the peer median. Open a category for its lines and Census item codes.
CategoryPer residentvs peers
$10,4902.1×peers $5,037
$6,6672.0×peers $3,291
$3,0693.3×peers $939
$2,9764.0×peers $737
$2,59744% abovepeers $1,805
$2,3574.7×peers $503
None reported · peers $249$0None reported
Peer median of 5 peers · Colorado median of 97 reporting

Money out

Spending

$25,065
per resident2.0× peers
Money out: Vail spending per resident by category, FY2023, against the peer median. Open a category for its lines and Census item codes.
CategoryPer residentvs peers
$9,66477% abovepeers $5,472
$6,2012.9×peers $2,168
$3,9746.3×peers $627
$3,0173.7×peers $809
$1,1102.7×peers $409
$560No peer comparisonpeers $0
$5407.1×peers $76
Peer median of 3 peers · Colorado median of 91 reporting

Vail 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, FY2023. How peers are chosen

Open in Compare
Vail compared with its peer municipalities, FY2023, per resident
MunicipalityRevenueExpendituresTax revenueSales taxDebt
VailRegional hub: Sales tax per resident is 9.1× the Colorado median.$28,156$25,065$19,515$10,490$8,486
SilverthorneUtilities: City-owned utilities (water, electric, gas, transit) brought in 7.7% of total revenue in FY2023. 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 2.9× the Colorado median.$8,639$12,413$4,551$3,363Not reported for this year
BreckenridgeUtilities: City-owned utilities (water, electric, gas, transit) brought in 5.0% of total revenue in FY2023. 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 8.2× the Colorado median.$27,953$15,559$9,453$33,463
New CastleUtilities: City-owned utilities (water, electric, gas, transit) brought in 12.4% of total revenue in FY2023. Revenue and spending per resident include them, so cities that run their own utilities read higher than cities that don't.$2,014$529$753
AvonUtilities: City-owned utilities (water, electric, gas, transit) brought in 0.4% of total revenue in FY2023. 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.$7,045$2,943$4,982$2,186$2,830
Snowmass VillageRegional hub: Sales tax per resident is 5.8× the Colorado median.$19,796$17,473$12,982$6,711$3,319
Peer median$8,639$12,413$8,982$3,363$3,074

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 $12,950 to FY2023 $28,156.$0$14.1K$28.2K’16’17’18’19’20’21’22’23Peer median FY2016: $6,747Peer median FY2017: $2,974Peer median FY2018: $8,242Peer median FY2019: $9,560Peer median FY2020: $10,274Peer median FY2021: $6,833Peer median FY2022: $16,339Peer median FY2023: $8,639Colorado median FY2016: $1,746 (all 224 municipalities reporting)Colorado median FY2021: $2,476 (all 227 municipalities reporting)FY2016: $12,950FY2017: $13,230FY2018: $14,661FY2019: $15,636FY2020: $17,224FY2021: $21,953FY2022: $27,099FY2023: $28,156

Fiscal year · nominal dollars, not adjusted for inflation

Peer group changed in FY2017, FY2018, 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$12,950$6,747$1,746 (224 reporting)
FY2017$13,230$2,974$2,694 (35 reporting, sample year)
FY2018$14,661$8,242$2,529 (75 reporting, sample year)
FY2019$15,636$9,560$2,694 (73 reporting, sample year)
FY2020$17,224$10,274$2,739 (76 reporting, sample year)
FY2021$21,953$6,833$2,476 (227 reporting)
FY2022$27,099$16,339$3,031 (72 reporting, sample year)
FY2023$28,156$8,639$3,580 (97 reporting, sample year)
Expenditures per resident
FY2017 $13,455 to FY2023 $25,065. 1 year withheld.$0$12.5K$25.1K’16’17’18’19’20’21’22’23Peer median FY2017: $2,800Peer median FY2018: $5,048Peer median FY2019: $8,041Peer median FY2020: $7,997Peer median FY2021: $4,501Peer median FY2022: $14,680Peer median FY2023: $12,413Colorado median FY2016: $1,749 (all 224 municipalities reporting)Colorado median FY2021: $2,208 (all 227 municipalities reporting)FY2017: $13,455FY2018: $14,529FY2019: $15,353FY2020: $13,658FY2021: $22,889FY2022: $23,555. Excludes equipment purchases and payments to other governments, which Census stopped reporting after FY2021.FY2023: $25,065. Excludes equipment purchases and payments to other governments, which Census stopped reporting after FY2021.FY2016: withheld — Expenditures per resident is 6.2x the peer median

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 6.2x the peer median

Peer group changed in FY2017, FY2018, FY2019, 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
FY2016Withheld (Expenditures per resident is 6.2x the peer median)Benchmark unavailable$1,749 (196 reporting)
FY2017$13,455$2,800$2,663 (35 reporting, sample year)
FY2018$14,529$5,048$2,387 (74 reporting, sample year)
FY2019$15,353$8,041$2,759 (71 reporting, sample year)
FY2020$13,658$7,997$2,485 (74 reporting, sample year)
FY2021$22,889$4,501$2,208 (220 reporting)
FY2022$23,555$14,680$3,025 (71 reporting, sample year)
FY2023$25,065$12,413$3,680 (91 reporting, sample year)
Tax revenue per resident
FY2016 $9,282 to FY2023 $19,515. 1 year withheld.$0$10.7K$21.3K’16’17’18’19’20’21’22’23Peer median FY2016: $4,676Peer median FY2018: $1,937Peer median FY2019: $2,811Peer median FY2020: $10,268Peer median FY2021: $4,401Peer median FY2022: $8,756Peer median FY2023: $8,982Colorado median FY2016: $705 (all 224 municipalities reporting)Colorado median FY2021: $1,072 (all 227 municipalities reporting)FY2016: $9,282FY2018: $10,837FY2019: $11,612FY2020: $12,790FY2021: $16,803FY2022: $21,345FY2023: $19,515FY2017: withheld — Tax revenue per resident is 6.2x the peer median

Fiscal year · nominal dollars, not adjusted for inflation

  • FY2017 withheld: Tax revenue per resident is 6.2x the peer median

Peer group changed in FY2017, 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$9,282$4,676$705 (193 reporting)
FY2017Withheld (Tax revenue per resident is 6.2x the peer median)Benchmark unavailable$1,098 (34 reporting, sample year)
FY2018$10,837$1,937$1,173 (70 reporting, sample year)
FY2019$11,612$2,811$1,187 (71 reporting, sample year)
FY2020$12,790$10,268$1,238 (72 reporting, sample year)
FY2021$16,803$4,401$1,072 (201 reporting)
FY2022$21,345$8,756$1,631 (71 reporting, sample year)
FY2023$19,515$8,982$1,726 (90 reporting, sample year)
Debt per resident
FY2016 $1,643 to FY2023 $8,486.$0$4.2K$8.5K’16’17’18’19’20’21’22’23Peer median FY2016: $2,483Peer median FY2017: $2,248Peer median FY2018: $2,176Peer median FY2019: $6,499Peer median FY2020: $5,591Peer median FY2021: $2,336Peer median FY2022: $5,614Peer median FY2023: $3,074Colorado median FY2016: $1,072 (all 224 municipalities reporting)Colorado median FY2021: $1,411 (all 227 municipalities reporting)FY2016: $1,643FY2017: $1,548FY2018: $1,477FY2019: $1,393FY2020: $2,646FY2021: $7,163FY2022: $6,985FY2023: $8,486

Fiscal year · nominal dollars, not adjusted for inflation

Peer group changed in FY2017, 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$1,643$2,483$1,072 (220 reporting)
FY2017$1,548$2,248$1,482 (34 reporting, sample year)
FY2018$1,477$2,176$1,644 (70 reporting, sample year)
FY2019$1,393$6,499$1,627 (69 reporting, sample year)
FY2020$2,646$5,591$1,798 (71 reporting, sample year)
FY2021$7,163$2,336$1,411 (199 reporting)
FY2022$6,985$5,614$2,068 (73 reporting, sample year)
FY2023$8,486$3,074$2,130 (91 reporting, sample year)

Questions about Vail’s finances

How much revenue does Vail collect per resident?
Vail collected $28,156 per resident in FY2023, 7.9× the median of the 97 Colorado municipalities reporting that year. See the figure
How does Vail's spending per resident compare with similar cities?
Vail spent $25,065 per resident in FY2023, 2.0× the median of its peers: Silverthorne, Breckenridge, New Castle, Avon and Snowmass Village. See the figure
How much debt does Vail have per resident?
Vail carried $8,486 of debt per resident in FY2023, 2.8× its peers' median. See the figure
Which cities is Vail compared with?
Vail is compared with Silverthorne, Breckenridge, New Castle, Avon and Snowmass Village: 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)
−4.2%/yr
2023 estimate
Median household income
$103.7K
2023 estimate
Poverty rate
6.6%
2023 estimate
Median home value
$1M
2023 estimate
Housing vacancy rate
65.7%
2023 estimate

Explore further

Also in Central Mountains & Resort

Revenue per resident, latest published year.

Sources

Dataset: Vail, 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 Vail’s largest difference from its peers (77% above the peer median in FY2023). See how that line moves month to month in your own budget-vs-actual.

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