Taxes in Aurora
Colorado's flat 4.4% state income tax (2026) applies to Aurora residents same as anywhere else in the state, layered with a genuinely address-dependent combined sales tax (roughly 8%-8.9%, varying by which of Adams, Arapahoe, or Douglas County a location sits in) and property tax rates that likewise differ meaningfully by county.
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Learn moreColorado's flat 4.4% income tax -- restated as place-level context
Colorado applies a flat 4.4% state income tax rate for 2026 to all taxable income regardless of filing status, per the Tax Foundation, AARP, and NerdWallet, independently verified this session. This is a real, structural cost distinct from the no-income-tax and low-flat-tax states built earlier in this project -- see colorado-tier-a-1.js for the full statewide record.
Aurora's own layered municipal sales tax
Aurora levies its own 3.75% municipal sales and use tax, on top of Colorado's 2.9% state rate, a 1.0% RTD rate, and a 0.10% SCFD rate. Because Aurora spans three counties, the county-level add-on varies by location: Adams County adds 0.75%, Arapahoe County adds 0.25%, and the Douglas County portion carries a 1.0% county-level tax -- producing combined rates that run roughly 8% to just under 9% depending on the specific address. Aurora exempts groceries and several categories of medical items from its municipal sales tax.
Property tax: a real, county-dependent spread
2026 effective property tax rates were cited at approximately 0.60% for Adams County, 0.52% for Arapahoe County, and 0.55% for Douglas County -- a real, disclosed spread rather than one citywide rate. Zip-code-level variance within Aurora runs wider still: the 80018 zip carries a median effective rate around 0.78% versus 0.42% in 80014, reflecting differences in overlapping school-district and special-district levies layered on top of the base county rate. A combined mill levy around 85 mills was cited as a general approximation -- confirm an actual bill directly with the relevant county assessor for a specific property.
No state estate or inheritance tax
Colorado does not levy a state estate tax or inheritance tax, consistent with the statewide record -- though Colorado residents with sufficiently large estates may still owe the federal estate tax. Confirm current guidance for any actual estate-planning decision.
Key takeaways
- Colorado's flat 4.4% state income tax (2026) applies to all Aurora residents regardless of filing status -- a real, structural cost distinct from no-income-tax states built elsewhere in this project.
- Aurora's combined sales tax runs roughly 8%-8.9% depending on which of Adams, Arapahoe, or Douglas County a specific address sits in; the city exempts groceries and several medical-item categories from its own 3.75% municipal rate.
- Effective property tax rates differ meaningfully by county (approximately 0.60% Adams, 0.52% Arapahoe, 0.55% Douglas per 2026 citations), with zip-code-level variance running wider still (0.42%-0.78% cited within Aurora specifically).
- Colorado levies no state estate or inheritance tax, though the federal estate tax can still apply to sufficiently large estates.
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