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Parker, ColoradoPhoto: Jeffrey Beall · CC BY 3.0
Town Hall · Parker

Parker spent less per resident in 2022 than 81% of similar cities

Parker’s town government spent $72.2 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, about $1,179 per resident.

Town website
Election Day

Today

General election in Colorado.

Register or check: vote.gov ↗
Day-to-day spending, 2024
$72.2M
year to December 31, 2024
Per resident, 2024
$1,179
In 2022: $972, less than 81% of 21 similar cities
Long-term debt
$52.9M
end of 2024, reported
Town staff, 2025
348
full-time · 346 part-time · March payroll $3.4M
Typical tax bill
$3,568
0.55% of home value · CO 0.48%

What stands out about how Parker is run

Read from the town’s budget, meetings and official records.

Agendas posted online6 upcoming meetings posted, with agendas.Spends less than most similar citiesIn 2022: $972 per resident, less than 81% of 21 similar cities.A shared school districtShares Douglas County School District RE-1 with 4 other towns.
★ What stands out · Meetings

6 upcoming meetings at town hall

From Parker’s own agenda portal, checked daily. Agendas can change up to the meeting, so check before you go.

Recent meetings

Go in person

Most meetings are open to the public, and many have a public comment period at the start.

Agenda portal ↗
Your share of the 2024 budget

About $1,179 per resident a year, or $3.23 a day

Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: parks & libraries, at 29%.

Where the money comes from
Sales taxes 52%Interest, fines & other 21%From other local governments 9%Fees & charges 8%Property taxes 5%Other taxes & licenses 3%From the state 1%From the federal government <1%
Not in the receipt.Building projects $36.6 million; interest on debt $2 million; payments to other governments $5.6 million. With these, the whole budget was $116.3 million.
Compared with similar places

$972 per resident in 2022: less than 81% of them

Parker’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($972 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 $1,350, and the middle half spent $1,098–$1,920. Parker spent less than 81% of them.

Middle half of the group, $1,098–$1,920Median $1,350Parker

Includes sewer and trash ($103,000), as the Census Bureau counts them. Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →

The group
21

Colorado cities of 50,000–99,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Parker itself left out).

Over the years

Day-to-day spending is up 27% since 2022

Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Parker reported to the Census Bureau. Prices rose too: about 4% a year in 2022–2024.

Day-to-day spending by fiscal year

2022$57 million
2023$63.6 million
2024$72.2 million

Per resident: 2022: $972 · 2023: $1,054 · 2024: $1,179. Per resident it went from $972 to $1,179 (up 21%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 58,673 to 61,222.

Town staff
348

full-time in March 2025, up from 299 in 2022.

Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.

Property tax

The typical homeowner pays $3,568 a year

Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.55% of the home’s value, vs 0.48% across Colorado.

What homes cost →

Typical yearly bill next door and statewide

Stepping Stone$5,828
Stonegate$4,037
Grand View Estates$3,759
Parker$3,568
Colorado$2,602
Aurora$2,457
$3,568
typical bill a year
0.55%
effective rate
$646,300
typical home value (Census)
Your own bill

The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Parker’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 Parker’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Parker →

Who runs it

Who’s in charge in Parker

Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.

See parkeronline.org for Parker’s current officialsWe name an official only when a public source lists a current term. None does for Parker yet.parkeronline.org ↗
Who works for Parker

One full-time town employee for every 176 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 (61,222).

By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2025

Parks & libraries78 + 328 pt
Police117 + 1 pt
Administration & buildings65 + 12 pt
Roads & transportation52 + 1 pt
Courts, inspections & corrections9 + 2 pt
Other27 + 2 pt
348
full-time
346
part-time
$3.4M
payroll for March 2025
$40.8M
a year, estimated (March × 12)
$106,400
average full-time pay, before benefits (March × 12)
86
sworn police officers
Compared, 2022.Parker had 5.1 full-time staff per 1,000 residents in March 2022. The median for the 9 of the 21 Colorado cities of 50,000–99,999 that don’t run their own schools that reported 2022 staff was 8.1: Parker had fewer than 100% of them. Same group and year as the budget comparison.

The Census reports one month’s payroll (March); yearly figures are that month × 12, an estimate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.

The school district

Douglas County School District RE-1

Parker’s K–12 school district, shared with Castle Pines, Castle Rock, Larkspur, Lone Tree. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.

Schools in Parker →
$14,658
per pupil · CO $15,889
61,409
students
$304 million
long-term debt

Of the $14,658 per pupil, $8,445 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.

The district: schools, scores and graduation →

Where the district’s money comes from
Local 59%State 38%Federal 3%

Colorado districts overall: 55% local, 37% state, 8% federal.

School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.

Elections · 2024 general election

Parker’s votes are counted by county

Colorado reports official results by county and precinct, not by town, so there are no official results for Parker alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Douglas County’s results.

President · Douglas County’s results243,892 votes · results as certified
Donald J TrumpDonald J TrumpRepublican52.3%127,451 votes
Kamala D HarrisKamala D HarrisDemocrat45.3%110,408 votes

Others: 2.5% (6,033 votes).

Most votes in Douglas County: Donald J Trump

Colorado: Harris 54.1%, Trump 43.1%

The county’s page

100% of Parker lies in Douglas County. Every 2024 race in Douglas County is on the county’s page.

Douglas County’s 2024 results →
DemocratRepublicanLibertarianIndependent / other

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.

Who represents Parker

From town hall to Washington

Every level of government that speaks for Parker.

2024 results ↑
  1. 1
    Your townTown government
    Officials: parkeronline.org ↗
  2. 2
    Colorado HouseState representatives
    Tony Hartsook
  3. 3
    Colorado SenateState senator
    Lisa Frizell
  4. 4
    GovernorStatewide
    Jared Polis
  5. 5
    U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
    Lauren Boebert
  6. 6
    U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Colorado
    Michael F. BennetJohn W. Hickenlooper

Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.

Next door

How Parker compares with the towns next door

Parker spent $972 per resident in 2022; the neighbor that reported 2022 spent $1,542. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.

Stonegate: unincorporated, no town budgetStepping Stone: unincorporated, no town budgetGrand View Estates: unincorporated, no town budgetAurora: $1,542 per resident (2022)StonegateStepping StoneGrand View EstatesAuroraParker
Spends the leastSpends the mostEstimate or no figures
TownDay-to-day, per resident (2022)Tax bill
Aurora$1,542$2,457
Parker$972$3,568

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 Parker’s government

The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.

The Handbook →
Official websiteparkeronline.org ↗

Questions about Parker’s government

How much does Parker spend per resident?

About $1,179 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 $972 was less than 81% of 21 Colorado cities of 50,000–99,999 that don’t run their own schools.

What is the property tax rate in Parker?

Homeowners report a typical bill of $3,568 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.55% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.48% across Colorado. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see parkeronline.org.

Who runs Parker’s government?

See parkeronline.org for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Parker yet.

How did Parker vote in 2024?

Colorado counts votes by county and precinct, not by town, so there are no official results for Parker alone. Douglas County, where 100% of Parker lies, voted Trump 52.3%, Harris 45.3% for president; its page has every race.

How many people work for Parker?

348 full-time and 346 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $3.4M (about $40.8M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.

Who represents Parker in the state legislature?

State Senate District 2 (Lisa Frizell) and State House District 44 (Tony Hartsook). Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.

When is the next public meeting in Parker?

The next posted meeting is Town Council on Tuesday, November 10, at 5:00 pm in 20120 E. Mainstreet, from the town’s own agenda portal.

Ask neighbors about Parker’s government

Neighbors who’ve been to the meetings can help.

Town Square →
Ask neighbors

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 →