City government · Boulder County, CO

Boulder's money: where it comes from and where it goes

In the latest recorded fiscal year (ended December 31, 2023), Boulder took in $364 million and spent $416 million.

Latest recorded year: ended December 31, 2023Comes fromGoes to

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Where it comes from

City taxes59%Fees for services (sewer, water)30%Fines and other6.9%State tax money2.9%Federal tax money0.5%County and local tax money0.4%

What stands out

31%

of Boulder's money comes from sales tax.A typical U.S. city of 50,000+ people gets 7.8%.

City taxes59%

Sales tax
31%$112 million
Property tax
15%$53.9 million
Other taxes
13%$48.9 million
What's in other taxesOther licenses; other selective sales taxes and 1 more
  • Other licenses$17.5 million
  • Other selective sales taxes$16.5 million
  • Occupation and business licenses$15.0 million

Amounts are by Census tax category.

Fees for services30%

Fees for services
30%$110 million
What's in fees for servicesSewer; water and 6 more
  • Sewer$45.7 million
  • Water$36.5 million
  • Other service charges$13.0 million
  • Parks and recreation$7.5 million
  • Housing$6.5 million
  • Airport$826 thousand
  • Parking$146 thousand
  • Transit fares$60 thousand

Amounts are by Census type of charge.

Federal tax money0.5%

Grants from Washington, paid for by the federal taxes residents also pay.

From the federal government
0.5%$1.8 million

State tax money2.9%

Money the state passes on, paid for by the state taxes residents also pay.

From the state
2.9%$10.5 million

County and local tax money0.4%

Money passed on by the county or other local governments.

From the county and other local governments
0.4%$1.6 million

Fines and other6.9%

Interest, rents and other
6.9%$25.1 million

Where it goes

Police, fire, courts and jails25%Water, sewer, trash and utilities23%Running the government and other costs20%Parks, recreation and libraries12%Roads, transit and parking8.2%All other spending11%

What stands out

7.9%

of Boulder's spending goes to housing and community development.A typical U.S. city of 50,000+ people spends 1.4%.

Spending by category100%

Police, fire, courts and jails
25%$105 million
What's in police, fire, courts and jailsPolice; inspections and regulation and 2 more
  • Police$46.9 million
  • Inspections and regulation$26.0 million
  • Fire protection$24.2 million
  • Courts and legal services$7.5 million
Water, sewer, trash and utilities
23%$97.0 million
What's in water, sewer, trash and utilitiesWater supply and sewer systems
  • Water supply$51.4 million
  • Sewer systems$45.6 million
Running the government and other costs
20%$82.7 million
What's in running the government and other costsOther and not broken out; central staff services (personnel, purchasing, technology) and 2 more
  • Other and not broken out$39.3 million
  • Central staff services (personnel, purchasing, technology)$20.8 million
  • Government buildings$13.6 million
  • Finance, tax collection and budgeting$9.0 million
Parks, recreation and libraries
12%$49.5 million
What's in parks, recreation and librariesParks and recreation and libraries
  • Parks and recreation$46.5 million
  • Libraries$3.0 million
Roads, transit and parking
8.2%$34.2 million
What's in roads, transit and parkingRoads and highways; public transit and 2 more
  • Roads and highways$23.6 million
  • Public transit$8.2 million
  • Airports$1.5 million
  • Parking$841 thousand
Housing and community development
7.9%$33.0 million
Interest on debt
2.3%$9.4 million
What's in interest on debtInterest on water supply debt and interest on general debt
  • Interest on water supply debt$5.2 million
  • Interest on general debt$4.2 million
Health and hospitals
1.0%$4.2 million
What's in health and hospitalsPublic health
  • Public health$4.2 million
Environment and natural resources
0.3%$1.1 million
What's in environment and natural resourcesNatural resources, farming and conservation
  • Natural resources, farming and conservation$1.1 million
Sources and moreWhere these numbers come from and what they cover

City of Boulder. U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, individual unit file, fiscal year ended December 31, 2023.

What this covers. The money of City of Boulder itself. Other governments that serve the same area (the city, county, school district and state) are separate and not included. Borrowing, transfers between a government's own funds, and pension trust funds are not counted as revenue.