Photo: Quintin Soloviev · CC BY 4.0How is Colorado Springs run?
Colorado Springs’ city government spent $542.1 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, about $1,115 per resident. Water and other utilities ($648 million) and the airport ($26.4 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Colorado Springs is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
Who’s in charge in Colorado Springs
From public records with a current term; a name is hidden the day its term ends.
Council members and agencies: coloradosprings.gov ↗
Colorado Springs’ meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on coloradosprings.gov ↗.
About $1,115 per resident a year, or $3.05 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 24%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$1,017 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Colorado Springs’ day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,017 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 249 Colorado State cities that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,174, and the middle half spent $720–$1,938. Colorado Springs spent less than 58% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($39.7 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 State cities that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Colorado Springs itself left out).
Day-to-day spending is up 11% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Colorado Springs 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: $1,017 · 2023: $1,125 · 2024: $1,115.
full-time in March 2025, up from 4,433 in 2022.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $1,765 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.39% of the home’s value, vs 0.48% across Colorado State.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Colorado Springs’ 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 Colorado Springs’ Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Colorado Springs →
One full-time city employee for every 99 residents
On the payroll in March 2025, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (486,248).
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.
Colorado Springs School District 11
Colorado Springs’ K–12 school district. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $17,160 per pupil, $8,834 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 State districts overall: 55% local, 37% state, 8% federal.
Academy School District 20 · $12,711 per pupil
School District 49 · $12,561 per pupil
Widefield School District 3 · $13,550 per pupil
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Colorado Springs’ votes are counted by county
Colorado reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Colorado Springs alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are El Paso County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican53.5%203,933 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat43.7%166,597 votesOthers: 2.7% (10,456 votes).
Most votes in El Paso County: Donald J Trump
Colorado State: Harris 54.1%, Trump 43.1%
100% of Colorado Springs lies in El Paso County. Every 2024 race in El Paso County is on the county’s page.
El Paso 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
Colorado Springs sends 6 representatives to the Colorado House alone.
- 1Your cityMayorYemi Moboladeas listed by Open States, October 9, 2026
- 2Colorado HouseColorado Springs is split between 6 districts
- 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 Colorado Springs compares with the towns next door
No neighbor is close in size, so the comparison above uses Colorado State cities that don’t run their own schools. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Fountain | $567 | $1,487 |
| Manitou Springs | $2,000 | $2,527 |
| Colorado Springs | $1,017 | $1,765 |
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 Colorado Springs’ government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Colorado Springs’ government
How much does Colorado Springs spend per resident?
About $1,115 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 $1,017 was less than 58% of 249 Colorado State cities that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Colorado Springs?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,765 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.39% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.48% across Colorado State. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see coloradosprings.gov.
Who is the mayor of Colorado Springs?
Yemi Mobolade, as listed by Open States (checked October 9, 2026). The council and agencies are listed on coloradosprings.gov.
How did Colorado Springs vote in 2024?
Colorado counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Colorado Springs alone. El Paso County, where 100% of Colorado Springs lies, voted Trump 53.5%, Harris 43.7% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Colorado Springs?
4,901 full-time and 194 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $45.7M (about $548.2M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Colorado Springs in the state legislature?
Colorado Springs is split among 6 State House districts and 4 State Senate districts, so your address decides. The Colorado Legislature’s lookup finds yours. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Colorado Springs’ 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 →