Photo: katkimchee · CC BY 2.0How is Steamboat Springs run?
Steamboat Springs’ city government spent $46.9 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, about $3,527 per resident. Water and other utilities ($5.4 million) and the airport ($1.5 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Steamboat Springs is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
One full-time city employee for every 50 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 (13,302).
By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2025
The Census reports one month’s payroll (March); yearly figures are that month × 12, an estimate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.
About $3,527 per resident a year, or $9.66 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 27%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
No comparison or trend for Steamboat Springs yet
The fair comparison uses 2022, the last year the Census Bureau counted every government (later years are a sample), and Steamboat Springs’ 2022 figures are a Census estimate (it reported none of its 2022 dollars). It reported 2024 only (2022 and 2023 are estimates), so there is no trend yet either. The next full count is 2027.
How Town Hall compares budgets →full-time in March 2025, up from 228 in 2022.
The typical homeowner pays $2,979 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.30% 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 Steamboat Springs’ 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 Steamboat Springs’ Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Steamboat Springs →
Who’s in charge in Steamboat Springs
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Steamboat Springs’ meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on steamboatsprings.net ↗.
Steamboat Springs School District RE-2
Steamboat Springs’ K–12 school district. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $18,233 per pupil, $9,842 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.
Steamboat Springs’ votes are counted by county
Colorado reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Steamboat Springs alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Routt County’s results.
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat62.5%10,208 votes
Donald J TrumpRepublican34.7%5,676 votesOthers: 2.8% (451 votes).
Most votes in Routt County: Kamala D Harris
Colorado: Harris 54.1%, Trump 43.1%
100% of Steamboat Springs lies in Routt County. Every 2024 race in Routt County is on the county’s page.
Routt 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 Steamboat Springs.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: steamboatsprings.net ↗
- 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 Steamboat Springs’ government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Steamboat Springs’ government
How much does Steamboat Springs spend per resident?
About $3,527 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, as reported to the Census Bureau.
What is the property tax rate in Steamboat Springs?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $2,979 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.30% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.48% across Colorado. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see steamboatsprings.net.
Who runs Steamboat Springs’ government?
See steamboatsprings.net for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Steamboat Springs yet.
How did Steamboat Springs vote in 2024?
Colorado counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Steamboat Springs alone. Routt County, where 100% of Steamboat Springs lies, voted Harris 62.5%, Trump 34.7% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Steamboat Springs?
266 full-time and 112 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $2.7M (about $32.4M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Steamboat Springs in the state legislature?
State Senate District 8 (Dylan Roberts) and State House District 26 (Meghan Lukens). The House district also covers 13 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Steamboat Springs’ 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 →