Photo: David Shankbone · CC BY 3.0Cripple Creek spent more per resident in 2022 than 94% of similar cities
Cripple Creek’s city government spent $5.8 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, about $5,078 per resident. Water and other utilities ($614,000) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Cripple Creek is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$5,654 per resident in 2022: more than 94% of them
Cripple Creek’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($5,654 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 150 Colorado cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $990, and the middle half spent $624–$1,732. Cripple Creek spent more than 94% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($449,000), 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 under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Cripple Creek itself left out).
About $5,078 per resident a year, or $13.91 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: fire, at 23%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is down 19% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Cripple Creek 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: $5,654 · 2024: $5,078. Per resident it went from $5,654 to $5,078 (down 10%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 1,266 to 1,142.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $477 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.17% 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 Cripple Creek’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. In a town this small the estimate has a wide margin.
Tax bills are one input to Cripple Creek’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Cripple Creek →
Who’s in charge in Cripple Creek
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Cripple Creek’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on cityofcripplecreek.com ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 18 residents
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (1,142).
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.
Cripple Creek-Victor School District RE-1
Cripple Creek’s K–12 school district, shared with Victor. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $27,877 per pupil, $11,894 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.
Cripple Creek’s votes are counted by county
Colorado reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Cripple Creek alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Teller County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican66.4%10,856 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat31.0%5,065 votesOthers: 2.6% (417 votes).
Most votes in Teller County: Donald J Trump
Colorado: Harris 54.1%, Trump 43.1%
100% of Cripple Creek lies in Teller County. Every 2024 race in Teller County is on the county’s page.
Teller 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 Cripple Creek.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: cityofcripplecreek.com ↗
- 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 Cripple Creek’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Cripple Creek’s government
How much does Cripple Creek spend per resident?
About $5,078 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 $5,654 was more than 94% of 150 Colorado cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Cripple Creek?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $477 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.17% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.48% across Colorado. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see cityofcripplecreek.com.
Who runs Cripple Creek’s government?
See cityofcripplecreek.com for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Cripple Creek yet.
How did Cripple Creek vote in 2024?
Colorado counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Cripple Creek alone. Teller County, where 100% of Cripple Creek lies, voted Trump 66.4%, Harris 31.0% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Cripple Creek?
65 full-time and 24 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $388,343 (about $4.7M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Cripple Creek in the state legislature?
State Senate District 4 (Mark Baisley) and State House District 60 (Stephanie Luck). The House district also covers 10 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Cripple Creek’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 →