Photo: Jeffrey Beall · CC BY 4.0Sanford spent less per resident in 2022 than 96% of similar cities
Sanford’s town government spent $154,000 on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2022, about $171 per resident. Water and other utilities ($144,000) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Sanford is run
Read from the town’s budget and official records.
$171 per resident in 2022: less than 96% of them
Sanford’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($171 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. Sanford spent less than 96% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($1,000), 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; Sanford itself left out).
About $171 per resident a year, or $0.47 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 36%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
No trend yet
Sanford reported only 2022 to the Census Bureau, so there is no trend yet.
The typical homeowner pays $652 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.38% 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 Sanford’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 Sanford’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Sanford →
Who’s in charge in Sanford
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time town employee for every 300 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 (900).
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.
Sanford School District 6J
Sanford’s K–12 school district. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $12,737 per pupil, $7,837 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.
Sanford’s votes are counted by county
Colorado reports official results by county and precinct, not by town, so there are no official results for Sanford alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Conejos County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican57.4%2,358 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat39.6%1,627 votesOthers: 2.9% (120 votes).
Most votes in Conejos County: Donald J Trump
Colorado: Harris 54.1%, Trump 43.1%
100% of Sanford lies in Conejos County. Every 2024 race in Conejos County is on the county’s page.
Conejos 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 Sanford.
- 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 Sanford’s government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about Sanford’s government
How much does Sanford spend per resident?
About $171 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 $171 was less than 96% of 150 Colorado cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Sanford?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $652 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.38% 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 Sanford’s government?
We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Sanford yet.
How did Sanford vote in 2024?
Colorado counts votes by county and precinct, not by town, so there are no official results for Sanford alone. Conejos County, where 100% of Sanford lies, voted Trump 57.4%, Harris 39.6% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Sanford?
3 full-time and 5 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $8,736 (about $104,832 a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Sanford 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 Sanford’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 →