Satank Bridge · Photo: Jeffrey Beall · CC BY 3.0How is Carbondale run?
Carbondale’s town government spent $10.3 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2022, about $1,530 per resident. Water and other utilities ($1.3 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Carbondale is run
Read from the town’s budget and official records.
About $1,530 per resident a year, or $4.19 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: administration & buildings, at 20%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$1,530 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Carbondale’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,530 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 $1,510, and the middle half spent $1,045–$2,154. Carbondale spent more than 50% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($1.9 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 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Carbondale itself left out).
No trend yet
Carbondale reported only 2022 to the Census Bureau, so there is no trend yet.
The typical homeowner pays $3,917 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.43% 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 Carbondale’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 Carbondale’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Carbondale →
Who’s in charge in Carbondale
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Carbondale’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The town posts agendas and minutes on carbondalegov.org ↗.
One full-time town employee for every 107 residents
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2022 finance file (6,729).
By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2022
The Census reports one month’s payroll (March); yearly figures are that month × 12, an estimate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.
Roaring Fork School District RE-1
Carbondale’s K–12 school district, shared with Basalt, Glenwood Springs, Snowmass Village. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $18,260 per pupil, $10,440 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.
Carbondale’s votes are counted by county
Colorado reports official results by county and precinct, not by town, so there are no official results for Carbondale alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Garfield County’s results.
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat49.8%15,128 votes
Donald J TrumpRepublican47.7%14,493 votesOthers: 2.5% (755 votes).
Most votes in Garfield County: Kamala D Harris
Colorado: Harris 54.1%, Trump 43.1%
100% of Carbondale lies in Garfield County. Every 2024 race in Garfield County is on the county’s page.
Garfield 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 Carbondale.
- 1Your townTown governmentOfficials: carbondalegov.org ↗
- 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 Carbondale’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Carbondale’s government
How much does Carbondale spend per resident?
About $1,530 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 $1,530 was more than 50% of 54 Colorado cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Carbondale?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $3,917 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.43% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.48% across Colorado. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see carbondalegov.org.
Who runs Carbondale’s government?
See carbondalegov.org for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Carbondale yet.
How did Carbondale vote in 2024?
Colorado counts votes by county and precinct, not by town, so there are no official results for Carbondale alone. Garfield County, where 100% of Carbondale lies, voted Harris 49.8%, Trump 47.7% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Carbondale?
63 full-time and 8 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $338,424 (about $4.1M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Carbondale 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 Carbondale’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 →