Photo: Jeffrey Beall · CC BY 3.0How is Brighton run?
Brighton’s city government spent $50.5 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2022, about $1,239 per resident. That is its newest year reported to the Census Bureau. Water and other utilities ($14.5 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Brighton is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
About $1,239 per resident a year, or $3.39 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 28%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$1,239 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Brighton’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,239 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 32 Colorado cities of 25,000–49,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,341, and the middle half spent $965–$1,814. Brighton spent less than 56% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($7 million), 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 25,000–49,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Brighton itself left out).
No trend yet
Brighton reported only 2022 to the Census Bureau (2023, 2024 are estimates), so there is no trend yet.
full-time in March 2025, up from 357 in 2022. Both are Census estimates.
The typical homeowner pays $3,228 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.65% 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 Brighton’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 Brighton’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Brighton →
Who’s in charge in Brighton
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Brighton’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on brightonco.gov ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 107 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 2022 finance file (40,783).
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.
School District 27J
Brighton’s K–12 school district, shared with Commerce City, Thornton. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $12,959 per pupil, $7,340 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.
Weld County School District RE-8 · $14,431 per pupil
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Brighton’s votes are counted by county
Colorado reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Brighton alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Adams County’s results.
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat53.1%124,056 votes
Donald J TrumpRepublican44.1%103,024 votesOthers: 2.7% (6,411 votes).
Most votes in Adams County: Kamala D Harris
Colorado: Harris 54.1%, Trump 43.1%
99% of Brighton lies in Adams County; the rest in Weld County. Every 2024 race in Adams County is on the county’s page.
Adams 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 Brighton.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: brightonco.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.
How Brighton compares with the towns next door
Brighton spent $1,239 per resident in 2022; the 3 neighbors that reported 2022 spent $561 to $1,938. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Lochbuie | $561 | $1,882 |
| Commerce City | $1,691 | $4,384 |
| Fort Lupton | $1,938 | $1,866 |
| Brighton | $1,239 | $3,228 |
Day-to-day spending in 2022, the last year every government was counted, for governments that reported it; hospital and utilities left out. Tax bill: the typical homeowner’s bill (Census ACS, 2020–24).
Reach Brighton’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Brighton’s government
How much does Brighton spend per resident?
About $1,239 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2022, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $1,239 was less than 56% of 32 Colorado cities of 25,000–49,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Brighton?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $3,228 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.65% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.48% across Colorado. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see brightonco.gov.
Who runs Brighton’s government?
See brightonco.gov for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Brighton yet.
How did Brighton vote in 2024?
Colorado counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Brighton alone. Adams County, where 99% of Brighton lies, voted Harris 53.1%, Trump 44.1% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Brighton?
381 full-time and 118 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $3.1M (about $37.5M a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.
Who represents Brighton in the state legislature?
State Senate District 13 (Scott Bright) and State House District 48 (Carlos Barron). The House district also covers eight other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Brighton’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 →