Photo: Jeffrey Beall · CC BY 4.0Nucla spent less per resident in 2022 than 79% of similar cities
Nucla’s town government spent $377,000 on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2022, about $548 per resident. Water and other utilities ($317,000) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Nucla is run
Read from the town’s budget and official records.
$548 per resident in 2022: less than 79% of them
Nucla’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($548 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 $626–$1,753. Nucla spent less than 79% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($129,000), 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; Nucla itself left out).
About $548 per resident a year, or $1.50 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 34%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
No trend yet
Nucla reported only 2022 to the Census Bureau, so there is no trend yet.
The typical homeowner pays $563 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.40% 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 Nucla’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 Nucla’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Nucla →
Who’s in charge in Nucla
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Nucla’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The town posts agendas and minutes on nucla-naturita.com ↗.
One full-time town employee for every 229 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 (688).
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.
West End School District RE-2
Nucla’s K–12 school district, shared with Naturita. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $16,656 per pupil, $7,465 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.
Nucla’s votes are counted by county
Colorado reports official results by county and precinct, not by town, so there are no official results for Nucla alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Montrose County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican65.2%16,704 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat32.6%8,354 votesOthers: 2.2% (568 votes).
Most votes in Montrose County: Donald J Trump
Colorado: Harris 54.1%, Trump 43.1%
100% of Nucla lies in Montrose County. Every 2024 race in Montrose County is on the county’s page.
Montrose 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 Nucla.
- 1Your townTown governmentOfficials: nucla-naturita.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 Nucla’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Nucla’s government
How much does Nucla spend per resident?
About $548 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 $548 was less than 79% of 150 Colorado cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Nucla?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $563 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.40% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.48% across Colorado. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see nucla-naturita.com.
Who runs Nucla’s government?
See nucla-naturita.com for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Nucla yet.
How did Nucla vote in 2024?
Colorado counts votes by county and precinct, not by town, so there are no official results for Nucla alone. Montrose County, where 100% of Nucla lies, voted Trump 65.2%, Harris 32.6% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Nucla?
3 full-time and 4 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $19,146 (about $229,752 a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Nucla in the state legislature?
State Senate District 6 (Cleave Simpson) and State House District 58 (Larry Suckla). The House district also covers 21 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Nucla’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 →