Photo: Jeffrey Beall · CC BY 4.0How is Wheat Ridge run?
Wheat Ridge’s city government spent $44.3 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, about $1,389 per resident.
What stands out about how Wheat Ridge is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
Jefferson County School District R-1
Wheat Ridge’s K–12 school district, shared with Edgewater, Golden, Lakeside, Lakewood, Morrison and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $15,276 per pupil, $8,089 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.
About $1,389 per resident a year, or $3.81 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 33%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$1,350 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Wheat Ridge’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,350 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 32 Colorado cities of 25,000–49,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,314, and the middle half spent $965–$1,814. Wheat Ridge spent more than 53% of them.
Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →
Colorado cities of 25,000–49,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Wheat Ridge itself left out).
Day-to-day spending is up 3% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Wheat Ridge 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: $1,350 · 2023: $1,619 · 2024: $1,389.
full-time in March 2025, up from 257 in 2022.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $2,757 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.44% 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 Wheat Ridge’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 Wheat Ridge’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Wheat Ridge →
Who’s in charge in Wheat Ridge
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Wheat Ridge’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on ci.wheatridge.co.us ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 111 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 (31,879).
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.
Wheat Ridge’s votes are counted by county
Colorado reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Wheat Ridge alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Jefferson County’s results.
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat58.3%210,875 votes
Donald J TrumpRepublican38.8%140,505 votesOthers: 2.9% (10,336 votes).
Most votes in Jefferson County: Kamala D Harris
Colorado: Harris 54.1%, Trump 43.1%
100% of Wheat Ridge lies in Jefferson County. Every 2024 race in Jefferson County is on the county’s page.
Jefferson 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 Wheat Ridge.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: ci.wheatridge.co.us ↗
- 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.
How Wheat Ridge compares with the towns next door
Wheat Ridge spent $1,350 per resident in 2022; the 4 neighbors that reported 2022 spent $903 to $3,403. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Lakewood | $903 | $2,724 |
| Arvada | $1,098 | $3,223 |
| Edgewater | $1,697 | $2,485 |
| Mountain View | $3,403 | $2,481 |
| Wheat Ridge | $1,350 | $2,757 |
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 Wheat Ridge’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Wheat Ridge’s government
How much does Wheat Ridge spend per resident?
About $1,389 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 $1,350 was more than 53% of 32 Colorado cities of 25,000–49,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Wheat Ridge?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $2,757 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.44% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.48% across Colorado. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see ci.wheatridge.co.us.
Who runs Wheat Ridge’s government?
See ci.wheatridge.co.us for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Wheat Ridge yet.
How did Wheat Ridge vote in 2024?
Colorado counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Wheat Ridge alone. Jefferson County, where 100% of Wheat Ridge lies, voted Harris 58.3%, Trump 38.8% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Wheat Ridge?
286 full-time and 156 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $2.4M (about $28.9M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Wheat Ridge in the state legislature?
State Senate District 22 (Jessie Danielson) and State House District 23 (Monica Duran). The House district also covers three neighboring towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Wheat Ridge’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 →