Colorado has a flat 4.40 percent individual income tax rate. Colorado has a flat 4.40 percent corporate income tax rate, a 2.90 percent state sales tax rate, and an average combined state and local sales tax rate of 7.89 percent. Colorado has a 0.50 percent effective property tax rate on owner-occupied housing value. Colorado does not have an estate tax or inheritance tax. Colorado’s gas tax is 29.18 cents per gallon and its cigarette excise tax is $2.24 per pack of 20 cigarettes.
Colorado raises tax revenue primarily through property taxes (32.9 percent of total state and local tax revenue), general sales taxes (29.7 percent), and individual income taxes (17.0 percent). Colorado collects $6,780 in state and local tax collections per capita, carries $13,133 in state and local debt per capita, and has a 78 percent funded ratio of public pension plans. Colorado’s tax system ranks 33rd overall on the 2026 State Tax Competitiveness Index.
Each state’s tax code is a multifaceted system with many moving parts, and Colorado is no exception. Use the tabs below to compare Colorado taxes with other states and to see how Colorado raises tax revenue. You can also browse our tax maps, which are compiled from our annual publication, Facts & Figures 2026: How Does Your State Compare?
Get facts about taxes in your state and around the US
The State Tax Competitiveness Index enables policymakers, taxpayers, and business leaders to gauge how their states’ tax systems compare. While there are many ways to show how much state governments collect in taxes, the Index evaluates how well states structure their tax systems and provides a road map for improvement.
122 min read
Facts & Figures serves as a one-stop state tax data resource that compares all 50 states on over 40 measures of tax rates, collections, burdens, and more.
2 min read
Individual income taxes are a major source of state government revenue, accounting for more than a third of state tax collections. How do income taxes compare in your state?
9 min read
Retail sales taxes are an essential part of most states’ revenue toolkits, responsible for nearly a quarter of combined state and local tax collections.
18 min read
Forty-four states levy a corporate income tax, with top rates ranging from a 2 percent flat rate in North Carolina to an 11.5 percent top marginal rate in New Jersey. Four states—Georgia, Nebraska, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania—reduced their corporate income tax rates effective January 1, 2026.
5 min read
Property taxes are the primary tool for financing local governments. While no taxpayers in high-tax jurisdictions will be celebrating their yearly payments, property taxes are largely rooted in the benefit principle of taxation: the people paying the property tax bills are most often the ones benefiting from the services.
9 min read
Tax collections vary widely by state, making per capita collections figures—a measure of collections per person—especially useful, as they allow comparisons across differences in tax rates and bases, economic capacities, and policy decisions that impact the size and scope of government.
5 min read
Rental cars are some of the most heavily taxed transactions in the US. Rather than levying additional taxes on rental cars by trying to export the tax burden to nonresidents, municipalities should enact principled, neutral transportation tax policy that is unlikely to discourage visitors, tourists, and other economic activity.
5 min read
From coast to coast, lawmakers are embracing wealth and millionaires’ taxes. Many of these proposals will face their ultimate test at the ballot box this November, and we should be rooting for these measures to fail.
Millions of Americans, along with significant amounts of income and economic activity, are moving from high-tax states to those with more competitive tax systems and lower overall costs of living.
8 min read
Nearly half of US states regulate and tax recreational markets, and only 10 states still lack a comprehensive medical marijuana program.
8 min read
Facts & Figures serves as a one-stop state tax data resource that compares all 50 states on over 40 measures of tax rates, collections, burdens, and more.
2 min read
The amount of revenue states raise through roadway-related revenues varies significantly across the US. Only two states raise enough revenue to fully cover their highway spending.
5 min read
Property taxes are the primary tool for financing local governments. While no taxpayers in high-tax jurisdictions will be celebrating their yearly payments, property taxes are largely rooted in the benefit principle of taxation: the people paying the property tax bills are most often the ones benefiting from the services.
9 min read
Under HB26-1221, Colorado would make two changes that raise additional revenue by taxing income that doesn’t actually exist. The proposed changes to the state’s alternative minimum tax and net operating loss provisions are designed to overstate income, leading to double taxation and distorting taxpayer behavior.
5 min read
The vaping industry has grown rapidly in recent decades, becoming a well-established product category and a viable alternative to cigarettes for those trying to quit smoking. US states levy a variety of tax structures on vaping products.
8 min read
