Photo: Jeffrey Beall · CC BY 4.0Commerce City spent more per resident in 2022 than 71% of similar cities
Commerce City’s city government spent $99.9 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, about $1,511 per resident.
What stands out about how Commerce City is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$1,691 per resident in 2022: more than 71% of them
Commerce City’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,691 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 21 Colorado cities of 50,000–99,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,239, and the middle half spent $1,054–$1,920. Commerce City spent more than 71% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($3.4 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 50,000–99,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Commerce City itself left out).
About $1,511 per resident a year, or $4.14 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 34%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending has held about steady since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Commerce City 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: $1,691 · 2023: $1,391 · 2024: $1,511. Per resident it went from $1,691 to $1,511 (down 11%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 59,317 to 66,115.
full-time in March 2025, up from 483 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 $4,384 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.88% 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 Commerce City’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 Commerce City’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Commerce City →
Who’s in charge in Commerce City
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Commerce City’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on ci.commerce-city.co.us ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 113 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 (66,115).
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
Commerce City’s K–12 school district, shared with Brighton, 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.
Adams County School District 14 · $17,691 per pupil
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Commerce City’s votes are counted by county
Colorado reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Commerce City 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%
100% of Commerce City lies in Adams 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 Commerce City.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: ci.commerce-city.co.us ↗
- 2Colorado HouseState representativesMaría González
- 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 Commerce City compares with the towns next door
Commerce City spent $1,691 per resident in 2022; the 3 neighbors that reported 2022 spent $1,119 to $3,060. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
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 Commerce City’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Commerce City’s government
How much does Commerce City spend per resident?
About $1,511 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 $1,691 was more than 71% of 21 Colorado cities of 50,000–99,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Commerce City?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $4,384 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.88% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.48% across Colorado. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see ci.commerce-city.co.us.
Who runs Commerce City’s government?
See ci.commerce-city.co.us for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Commerce City yet.
How did Commerce City vote in 2024?
Colorado counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Commerce City alone. Adams County, where 100% of Commerce City lies, voted Harris 53.1%, Trump 44.1% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Commerce City?
584 full-time and 201 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $4.7M (about $56.4M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Commerce City in the state legislature?
State Senate District 21 (Adrienne Benavidez) and State House District 32 (María González). Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Commerce City’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 →