Photo: C caudill1 · CC BY-SA 4.0Del Norte spent less per resident in 2022 than 72% of similar cities
Del Norte’s town government spent $1.2 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2023, about $818 per resident. Water and other utilities ($374,000) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Del Norte is run
Read from the town’s budget and official records.
$653 per resident in 2022: less than 72% of them
Del Norte’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($653 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 $998, and the middle half spent $624–$1,753. Del Norte spent less than 72% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($279,000), 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; Del Norte itself left out).
About $818 per resident a year, or $2.24 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 32%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is up 18% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Del Norte 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: $653 · 2023: $818. Per resident it went from $653 to $818 (up 25%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 1,541 to 1,455.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $571 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.31% 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 Del Norte’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 Del Norte’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Del Norte →
Who’s in charge in Del Norte
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time town employee for every 77 residents
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll (a Census estimate). Residents: the Census population in the 2023 finance file (1,455).
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.
Upper Rio Grande School District C-7
Del Norte’s K–12 school district, shared with South Fork. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $18,542 per pupil, $9,504 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.
Del Norte’s votes are counted by county
Colorado reports official results by county and precinct, not by town, so there are no official results for Del Norte alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Rio Grande County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican60.4%3,743 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat37.2%2,306 votesOthers: 2.3% (145 votes).
Most votes in Rio Grande County: Donald J Trump
Colorado: Harris 54.1%, Trump 43.1%
100% of Del Norte lies in Rio Grande County. Every 2024 race in Rio Grande County is on the county’s page.
Rio Grande 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 Del Norte.
- 1Your townTown governmentLocal officials aren’t on record yet.
- 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 Del Norte’s government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about Del Norte’s government
How much does Del Norte spend per resident?
About $818 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2023, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $653 was less than 72% of 150 Colorado cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Del Norte?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $571 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.31% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.48% across Colorado. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see the town’s assessor.
Who runs Del Norte’s government?
We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Del Norte yet.
How did Del Norte vote in 2024?
Colorado counts votes by county and precinct, not by town, so there are no official results for Del Norte alone. Rio Grande County, where 100% of Del Norte lies, voted Trump 60.4%, Harris 37.2% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Del Norte?
19 full-time and 1 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $91,204 (about $1.1M a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.
Who represents Del Norte in the state legislature?
State Senate District 6 (Cleave Simpson) and State House District 62 (Matt Martinez). The House district also covers 17 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Del Norte’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 →