Ute Cemetery · Photo: Daniel Case · CC BY-SA 3.0Aspen spent more per resident in 2022 than 98% of similar cities
Aspen’s city government spent $86.9 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, about $12,889 per resident. Water and other utilities ($16.5 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Aspen is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$8,135 per resident in 2022: more than 98% of them
Aspen’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($8,135 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 54 Colorado cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,506, and the middle half spent $1,045–$2,002. Aspen spent more than 98% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($688,000), as the Census Bureau counts them. Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →
Colorado cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Aspen itself left out).
About $12,889 per resident a year, or $35.31 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: parks & libraries, at 26%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is up 39% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Aspen reported to the Census Bureau. Prices rose too: about 4% a year in 2022–2024.
Day-to-day spending by fiscal year
Per resident: 2022: $8,135 · 2023: $9,941 · 2024: $12,889. Per resident it went from $8,135 to $12,889 (up 58%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 7,657 to 6,741.
full-time in March 2025, up from 322 in 2022. Both are Census estimates.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $3,870 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.47% of the home’s value, vs 0.48% across Colorado.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Aspen’s rate.
Can I afford it? →The median bill homeowners report to the Census survey (bills of $10,000+ are reported as “$10,000+”). The effective rate is that bill ÷ the median home value: a rough guide, not the official tax rate.
Tax bills are one input to Aspen’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Aspen →
Who’s in charge in Aspen
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Aspen’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on aspen.gov ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 17 residents
On the payroll in March 2025, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll (a Census estimate). Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (6,741).
By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2025
The Census reports one month’s payroll (March); yearly figures are that month × 12, an estimate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.
Aspen School District 1
Aspen’s K–12 school district, shared with Snowmass Village. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $28,649 per pupil, $15,088 goes to the classroom (teachers, aides, supplies); the rest to buses, buildings, counselors and administration. Building projects and debt payments aren’t in the per-pupil figure.
Colorado districts overall: 55% local, 37% state, 8% federal.
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Aspen’s votes are counted by county
Colorado reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Aspen alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Pitkin County’s results.
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat71.0%7,932 votes
Donald J TrumpRepublican26.8%2,992 votesOthers: 2.2% (245 votes).
Most votes in Pitkin County: Kamala D Harris
Colorado: Harris 54.1%, Trump 43.1%
100% of Aspen lies in Pitkin County. Every 2024 race in Pitkin County is on the county’s page.
Pitkin County’s 2024 results →Official 2024 general election returns, as certified (MIT Election Data + Science Lab). Percentages are of votes for candidates; blank and spoiled ballots aren’t counted. Candidates are listed by votes, and party colors are neutral on purpose.
Portraits: Kamala D Harris: official vice-presidential portrait, Lawrence Jackson, The White House, 2021; Donald J Trump: official portrait, Shealah Craighead, The White House, 2017. All are U.S. government works in the public domain. A race shows photos only when every candidate has an official portrait; otherwise every candidate in it gets initials.
From town hall to Washington
Every level of government that speaks for Aspen.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: aspen.gov ↗
- 2Colorado HouseState representatives
- 3Colorado SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Colorado
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
Reach Aspen’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Aspen’s government
How much does Aspen spend per resident?
About $12,889 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $8,135 was more than 98% of 54 Colorado cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Aspen?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $3,870 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.47% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.48% across Colorado. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see aspen.gov.
Who runs Aspen’s government?
See aspen.gov for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Aspen yet.
How did Aspen vote in 2024?
Colorado counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Aspen alone. Pitkin County, where 100% of Aspen lies, voted Harris 71.0%, Trump 26.8% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Aspen?
395 full-time and 85 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $3.4M (about $41.3M a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.
Who represents Aspen in the state legislature?
State Senate District 5 (Marc Catlin) and State House District 57 (Elizabeth Velasco). The House district also covers nine other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Aspen’s government
Neighbors who’ve been to the meetings can help.
Budget and staff: U.S. Census Bureau, Census of Governments (2022, every government) and Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances (2023–24, a sample) and the Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll; day-to-day spending is current operations, with hospitals, utilities and airports apart. School district: Census school finance survey, 2023–24. Property tax: Census American Community Survey, 2020–24. Elections: official 2024 returns via the MIT Election Data + Science Lab; turnout uses Census citizen voting-age population (CVAP, 2020–24). Officials: Open States, names shown only with a current term (checked October 9, 2026). Districts: Census Bureau (119th Congress, 2024 state districts); legislators: Open States and congress-legislators. How Town Hall works →