How does Colorado’s tax code compare? Colorado has a flat 4.40 percent individual income tax rate. There are also jurisdictions that collect local income taxes. Colorado has a 4.40 percent corporate income tax rate. Colorado also has a 2.90 percent state sales tax rate and an average combined state and local sales tax rate of 7.81 percent. Colorado has a 0.45 percent effective property tax rate on owner-occupied housing value.
Colorado does not have an estate tax or inheritance tax. Colorado has a 29 cents per gallon gas tax rate and a $1.94 cigarette excise tax rate. The State of Colorado collects $6,387 in state and local tax collections per capita. Colorado has $11,972 in state and local debt per capita and has a 71 percent funded ratio of public pension plans. Colorado’s tax system ranks 32nd overall on the 2025 State Tax Competitiveness Index.
Each state’s tax code is a multifaceted system with many moving parts, and Colorado is no exception. The first step towards understanding Colorado’s tax code is knowing the basics. How does Colorado collect tax revenue? Click the tabs below to learn more! You can also explore our state tax maps, which are compiled from our annual publication, Facts & Figures 2024: How Does Your State Compare?
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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.
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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
Tax burdens rose across the country as pandemic-era economic changes caused taxable income, activities, and property values to rise faster than net national product. Tax burdens in 2020, 2021, and 2022 are all higher than in any other year since 1978.
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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?
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Graduated corporate rates are inequitable—that is, the size of a corporation bears no necessary relation to the income levels of the owners.
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Retail sales taxes are an essential part of most states’ revenue toolkits, responsible for 32 percent of state tax collections and 13 percent of local tax collections (24 percent of combined collections).
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Graduated corporate rates are inequitable—that is, the size of a corporation bears no necessary relation to the income levels of the owners.
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People respond to incentives. As tax rates increase or products are banned from sale, consumers and producers search for ways around these penalties and restrictions.
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Contrary to initial expectations, the pandemic years were good for state and local tax collections, and while the surges of 2021 and 2022 have not continued into calendar year 2023, revenues remain robust in most states and well above pre-pandemic levels even after accounting for inflation.
4 min read