Town Hall · Boulder

Boulder, CO town hall & government

Boulder spent $415.9 million in the year to December 31, 2024, about $3,943 per resident.

Where the money goes, where it comes from, property taxes, and how to reach Boulder's government.

Local leadership

Who runs Boulder

Aaron BrockettMayorSince 2019 Wikidata ↗ Out of date? Sign in to tell us

From public records (Open States and Wikidata), which can lag behind an election. If a name is out of date, tell us: when two neighbors agree, it's hidden until the records catch up.

Town budget

Where Boulder's money goes

Spent
$415.9 million
fiscal year to December 31, 2024
Per resident
$3,943
typical Colorado cities: $3,667
Long-term debt
$232.3 million
$2,202 per resident
Water & other utilities
$56.6 million14%
Parks & libraries
$49.5 million12%
Police
$46.9 million11%
Sewer & trash
$45.6 million11%
Administration & buildings
$43.4 million10%
Roads & transportation
$34.2 million8%
Courts, inspections & corrections
$33.5 million8%
Housing & development
$33 million8%
Fire
$24.2 million6%
Health & welfare
$4.2 million1%
Interest on debt
$4.2 million1%
Other
$40.4 million10%

Where the money comes from

  • Sales taxes 35%
  • Fees & charges 20%
  • Property taxes 15%
  • Utility sales 10%
  • Other taxes & licenses 9%
  • Interest, fines & other 7%
  • From the state 3%
  • From the federal government <1%
  • From other local governments <1%
Town workforce · Census estimate

Who works for Boulder

Full-time staff
1,757
206 part-time too
Average full-time pay
$98,700
a year, before benefits
Sworn police officers
297
and 169 full-time firefighters
Police
427 full-time21 part
Parks & libraries
193 full-time93 part
Administration & buildings
225 full-time12 part
Fire
180 full-time
Water & other utilities
130 full-time4 part
Roads & transportation
95 full-time4 part
Sewer & trash
74 full-time2 part
Courts, inspections & corrections
50 full-time10 part
Housing & development
25 full-time4 part
Health & welfare
9 full-time2 part
Other
349 full-time54 part

Staff on the town's payroll in March 2025. Pay is March payroll times twelve, so it's approximate. Boulder didn't report its staffing to the Census Bureau, so these are the Bureau's estimates.

Schools · school year 2023–24

Boulder Valley School District RE-2

Boulder's K–12 school district, shared with Jamestown, Lafayette, Louisville, Nederland, Ward and Superior. It is its own government, with a budget separate from the town's.

Spending per pupil
$17,771
Colorado: $15,889
Students
28,357
in the whole district
Long-term debt
$881.4 million
at year end

Where the district's money comes from Colorado districts overall: 55% local, 37% state, 8% federal

  • Local 86%
  • State 10%
  • Federal 4%

Of the $17,771 per pupil, $9,993 goes to classroom instruction (teachers, aides, supplies); the rest to support services such as buses, buildings, counselors and administration. Building projects and debt payments aren't in the per-pupil figure.

Also serving Boulder: St. Vrain Valley School District RE 1J ($15,300 per pupil).

Property tax

What homeowners in Boulder pay

Typical tax bill
$5,322
a year · Colorado typical $2,602
Effective rate
0.51%
of home value · Colorado 0.48%
Typical home value
$1,039,500
owner-occupied

The median yearly bill homeowners report, covering every local property tax on the home (town, schools, county). The effective rate is that bill divided by the median home value, so it's a rough guide, not the official tax rate.

Local

Contact Boulder's government

🏛️ Official websitebouldercolorado.gov ↗

Town hall & decisions in Boulder →

Beyond town hall

Who represents Boulder

Boulder is represented in Congress by Senators Michael F. Bennet and John W. Hickenlooper and Representative Joe Neguse. Jared Polis is governor.

All of Boulder's representatives, with contacts →

Budget: U.S. Census Bureau, 2022 Census of Governments: Finance (every city and town government's revenue, spending and debt, grouped into plain categories). Property tax: Census American Community Survey, 5-year estimates.

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Boulder

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