Photo: Fitchhollister · CC BY-SA 3.0Telluride spent more per resident in 2022 than 92% of similar cities
Telluride’s town government spent $13.1 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, about $5,049 per resident. Water and other utilities ($1.8 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Telluride is run
Read from the town’s budget and official records.
$4,721 per resident in 2022: more than 92% of them
Telluride’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($4,721 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 $990, and the middle half spent $624–$1,732. Telluride spent more than 92% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($1.1 million), 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; Telluride itself left out).
About $5,049 per resident a year, or $13.83 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: administration & buildings, at 26%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is up 15% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Telluride 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: $4,721 · 2023: $5,025 · 2024: $5,049. Per resident it went from $4,721 to $5,049 (up 7%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 2,416 to 2,588.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $1,844 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Telluride’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 Telluride’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Telluride →
Who’s in charge in Telluride
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Telluride’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The town posts agendas and minutes on telluride-co.gov ↗.
One full-time town employee for every 28 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 2024 finance file (2,588).
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.
Telluride School District R-1
Telluride’s K–12 school district, shared with Mountain Village, Ophir, Sawpit. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $24,287 per pupil, $12,926 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.
Telluride’s votes are counted by county
Colorado reports official results by county and precinct, not by town, so there are no official results for Telluride alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are San Miguel County’s results.
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat73.5%3,529 votes
Donald J TrumpRepublican24.0%1,154 votesOthers: 2.5% (121 votes).
Most votes in San Miguel County: Kamala D Harris
Colorado: Harris 54.1%, Trump 43.1%
100% of Telluride lies in San Miguel County. Every 2024 race in San Miguel County is on the county’s page.
San Miguel 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 Telluride.
- 1Your townTown governmentOfficials: telluride-co.gov ↗
- 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 Telluride’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Telluride’s government
How much does Telluride spend per resident?
About $5,049 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 $4,721 was more than 92% of 150 Colorado cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
Who runs Telluride’s government?
See telluride-co.gov for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Telluride yet.
How did Telluride vote in 2024?
Colorado counts votes by county and precinct, not by town, so there are no official results for Telluride alone. San Miguel County, where 100% of Telluride lies, voted Harris 73.5%, Trump 24.0% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Telluride?
92 full-time and 40 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $740,318 (about $8.9M a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.
Who represents Telluride 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 Telluride’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 →