Business Costs
TaxationWagesConstruction Cost IndexDevelopment FeesReal Estate ComparisonsUtility Rates
 
Taxation  
 

"Over the past 14 years, Colorado’s tax burden has fallen from being relatively close to the national average in 1990 to currently standing substantially below the national average. Over this period of time, individual incomes of taxpayers have risen faster than state/local tax collections thanks largely to the unique Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights amendment in the state’s constitution. Estimated in 2004 at 9.1% of income, Colorado’s state/local tax burden percentage ranks 40th nationally, well below the national average of 10.0%." - The Tax Foundation

Colorado has a pro-business tax climate that is equitable to businesses as well as individuals.

Income, property, and sales and use taxes are the three main sources of tax revenue for state and local governments in Colorado.

In May of 2003, the Tax Foundation published its State Business Tax Climate Index, which ranked Colorado as having the 4th smallest business tax burden in the nation. The report based its rankings on five major elements of the tax system: the percentage of income taken by all taxes, the individual income tax rates, the corporate income taxes, the sales tax rate, and the complexity of the tax system.

Tax and Spending Limitation (TABOR Amendment)
The Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights (TABOR), an amendment to the State Constitution, was passed in 1992. TABOR requires that all tax increases be approved by a vote of the people. Under TABOR, the maximum annual percentage change in state fiscal year spending equals inflation plus the percentage change in state population in the prior calendar year, adjusted for revenue changes approved by voters.

Local district fiscal year spending is limited to inflation in the prior calendar year plus annual “local growth.” Local growth for non-school district is defined as the net percentage change in actual value of all taxable real property in a district. For a school district, it means the percentage change in its student enrollment.

Important Business Tax Links
Colorado Department of Revenue
Colorado Tax Forms
Colorado Business Resource Guide
For Your Information Tax Publications

 

Links to sections with Taxation information:

Taxes that the State of Colorado does not impose:

  • No unitary tax
  • No occupational head tax in Jefferson County or at the state level
  • No waters edge or inventory tax in Colorado
Wages  
 
Average Wages by Occupation for the Denver PMSA

Occupational Title:

Average Hourly Wages:
Management Occupations:
Financial Managers
$45.00
General & Operations Managers
$39.70
Industrial Production Managers
$34.24
Transportation, Storage, & Dist. Managers
$34.79
Engineering Managers
$52.78
 
Professional, Paraprofessional, and Technical Occupations:
Computer Programmers
$33.82
Computer Support Specialists
$22.03
Registered Nurses
$28.15
Medical & Clinical Laboratory Technicians
$24.19
 
Sales and Related Occupations:
Sales Reps, Wholesale & Manufacturing (non-tech)
$24.27
Sales Reps, Scientific, Technical, & Products
$36.60
Telemarketer and Other Related Workers
$10.51
 
Clerical and Administrative Support Occupations:
Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks
$15.52
Customer Service Representatives
$13.95
Executive Secretaries & Administrative Assistants
$19.21
Office Clerks - General
$12.85
 
Production, Construction, Operating, Maintenance, and Material Handling:
Metal & Plastic Workers
$17.39
Pourers and Casters, Metal
$9.89
Machinists
$17.85
Assemblers & Fabricators
$11.06
Electromechanical Equipment Assemblers
$13.70
Structural Metal Fabricators and Fitters
$16.06
First Line Supervisors/Mgrs. of Construction Trades
$25.96
 
Colorado's Minimum Wage
$6.85
 
Source: Colorado Department of Labor and Employment, 2006 Wage Survey. Additional wage information available on request.
 
For more wage info:
Colorado Dept. of Labor and Employment
Construction Cost Index  
 
Materials
Installation
Composite
San Francisco
112.8
132.9
121.7
Boston
102.5
132.0
115.6
Minneapolis
100.5
126.7
112.2
Chicago
100.1
126.3
111.7
Los Angeles
102.5
112.1
106.8
Seattle
103.8
104.7
104.2
Kansas City, MO
100.9
106.8
103.5
Portland, OR
102.2
104.6
103.3
DENVER
100.6
89.9
95.8
Phoenix
98.8
73.6
87.6
Dallas
98.3
67.1
84.4
 
100.0 = National average for all cities.
Source: RS Means' Building Construction Cost Data Manual, 2006.
Development Fees  
 
Development fees vary among the various municipalities in Jefferson County and may include:
  • Building permits
  • Electrical, mechanical, and plumbing fees
  • Economic impact fees
  • Survey, plat, rezoning or special use permit fees
  • Application fees

Some fee schedules are posted on the Internet. Links and telephone numbers for the various municipalities are listed below.
Jefferson County*
County Planning and Zoning
(Unincorporated Areas)
100 Jefferson County Parkway, #3550
Golden, CO 80419-3550
303-271-8700
  City of Arvada
Arvada Department of Community Development
8101 Ralston Road
Arvada, CO 80002
303-431-3020
     
City of Golden
Public Works Department
1445 10th Street
Golden, CO 80401
303-384-8151
  City of Lakewood
Community Planning and Development
480 S. Allison Parkway
Lakewood, CO 80226
303-987-7500
     
City of Westminster
Department of Community Development
4800 W. 92nd Avenue
Westminster, CO 80031
303-430-2400 ext. 2092
  City of Wheat Ridge
Public Works Department
7500 W. 29th Avenue
Wheat Ridge, CO 80215
303-235-2846
     
*Fees posted    

Real Estate Comparisons  
 
Office
Submarkets
Inventory
VSF
Vacancy
Absorption
Median Rate
Denver Metro
155,223,101
15,798,195
10.2%
664,550
$16.90
Class A
34,784,505
3,982,891
11.5%
-12,161
$19.81
Class B
100,009,538
10,213,295
10.2%
663,900
$16.28
Class C
20,429,058
1,602,009
7.8%
12,811
$12.79
 
Jefferson County
21,488,630
2,178,199
10.1%
417,663
$16.21
Class A
2,588,443
236,638
9.1%
35,368
$20.08
Class B
15,961,254
1,714,072
10.7%
333,558
$15.99
Class C
2,938,933
227,489
7.7%
48,737
$13.85
 
Industrial
Submarkets
Inventory
VSF
Vacancy
Absorption
Median Rate
Denver Metro
225,794,444
14,570,998
6.5%
2,993,997
$5.44
Ind/Warehouse
181,872,118
10,135,434
5.6%
1,992,244
$4.63
Flex/R&D
43,922,326
4,435,564
10.1%
1,001,753
$7.02
 
Jefferson County
21,616,208
961,468
4.4%
223,048
$7.00
Ind/Warehouse
14,542,783
405,379
2.8%
157,142
$5.42
Flex/R&D
7,073,425
556,089
7.9%
65,906
$8.09
 
Source: Frederick Ross Company, 3rd Quarter 2006
Utility Costs  
 

Jefferson County's utility rates are among the lowest in the nation. The following charts shows comparisons for commercial, industrial, and residential use.

Monthy Electrical Cost Comparisons
City
Industrial
1000 kW/400 mWh
Commerical 40kW/100,000 kWh
Residential
500kWh
Atlanta
$24,635
$862
$37.33
Baltimore
$24,131
$716
$41.69
Chicago
$24.934
$803
n/a
Dallas
n/a
$885
$46.22
Denver Metro
$24,911
$843
$43.38
New York
$49,252
$1,570
$83.80
Phoenix
$24,046
$884
$45.20
Portland
$23,972
$710
$44.02
San Francisco
$45,194
$1,258
$61.98
Washington, D.C.
$22,747
$875
$30.36
Source: Edison Electric Institute, Winter 2003
 
Commercial Natural Gas Prices by State
Rank State Price/Mcf
2
Massachusetts
$12.04
3
Maryland
$10.34
4
Indiana
$10.29
11
Florida
$8.51
12
New York
$8.38
14
New Mexico
$8.19
20
Illinois
$6.89
26
California
$6.68
27
Colorado
$6.62
35
Oregon
$5.96
Source: Energy User News, September 2004.
 
Contact UsSite MapSearch Site

Jefferson Economic Council
1667 Cole Blvd, Bldg 19, Ste 400 Golden, CO 80401
p:303.202.2965 f:303.202.2967

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