Editor’s note: This story has been updated to correct Keystone’s sales tax collections and clarify statements made by Adrienne Saia Isaac.

On June 5, Colorado Ski Country announced the state’s ski areas hosted 13.8 million skier visits for the 2024-25 ski season. It was the third-busiest season for the state at-large, but how did Summit County fare?

None of Summit County’s ski resorts release the number of visits they receive in a season. Sales tax is one of the only and strongest indicators demonstrating how a given season went.

December through March hold some of the largest tax collections for Summit County Government and the municipalities, with December and March being the top months for many. For the most part, the area saw drops in sales tax collections, and only one local government saw an increase in collections made December through March compared to the same period in the previous season.

Breckenridge was down around 3.8% for net taxable sales for December to March. December was down around 2.5% in net taxable sales compared to last year, January was down around 5.5%, February was down 1.67% and March was down 5.11% compared to last season. 

“Considering everything that’s going on with the economy, I feel like we’re in a pretty good spot,” revenue manager Pam Ness said. 

In terms of total net taxable sales for short-term lodging, Breckenridge was down 4.6% for December through March compared to last year.

Ness said the Breckenridge Tourism Office has been reporting lower average daily rates from short-term lodging options like short-term rentals and hotels, adding that this is likely impacting the dip in short-term lodging collections.

Silverthorne’s ski season tax collections were down by similar amounts. The town was down 3.6% for December to March in sales tax collections compared to that period last year. 

Finance director Laura Kennedy said Silverthorne sales tax collections were down 1.2% in December compared to last year, down 8% in January, down 4.8% in February and down 1.4% in March. 

The town amended its budget in April to reflect the unanticipated drops in sales tax revenue. Kennedy said Silverthorne has been riding a high over the last several years, with sales tax collections being the healthiest the town’s ever seen. She said the town tackled projects year ahead of when they were planned because of it, but that changed this year. 

She said quantifying the year-to-date difference for lodging tax is tough because in June 2024, the town’s lodging tax rate raised to 8% from 6% after voters approved the hike in a November election. She said December through March year to date would have been down 5% if the lodging tax stayed at 6%. 

Dillon’s sales tax collection took the biggest dip out of the municipalities, as sales tax collections for December to March were down 6% compared to last ski season. Finance director Mary Kay Perrotti said a 9% decline in year-to-date sales tax collections for January to March will translate to a $1.1 million budget deficit.

“We think it’s just the greater macroeconomic environment,” Perrotti said. “We’re hoping that we can rebound that decline over the summer, but that remains to be seen.”

Frisco is an outlier, seeing an increase in sales tax collections during the ski season.  The town is up by .26% for year-to-date sales tax collections from December through March. 

December was up 4% versus December of 2023, January was down 1%, February was down 2% and March was down 1%. 

“We’ve been looking at why has Frisco done better than some of our neighboring communities, and we’re not sure other than we think that it seems to be approachable (since it is) along I-70, perhaps that’s attracting more visitation,” finance director Lesie Edwards said. 

She said January was down 13% for lodging tax collections, while February was up by 11% and March was up by 3%.

She added there’s been more marketing efforts between the town and Copper Mountain, and this could be positively contributing as well. 

Comparing this ski season’s sales tax collections for Summit County government with last year’s isn’t an actual-to-actual comparison, Summit County government communications director Adrienne Saia Isaac said. Keystone became a town in February 2024. Before incorporation, Keystone accounted for approximately 28% of total sales tax collected in unincorporated Summit County. Isaac said the country is required to disperse sales tax generated within the towns back to the towns. When a new town incorporates, the county loses that sales tax revenue. 

December through March for Summit County was down overall around 26% in sales tax collections. 

December was down 31%, January was down 36.1%, February was down 25.5% and March was down 8%.

“While a decrease in sales tax collections for the County is a concern, travel and tourism have proven resilient in prior market downturns,” finance director David Reynolds said via email. “However, given the uncertainty around federal funding and the bigger picture economy, we are keeping an eye on it.”

Issac said a drop in sales tax leaves less money to fund vital, statutorily-required programs and projects like road maintenance, but noted sales tax only accounts for 8% of the county’s total revenue.

Keystone does not have enough sales tax data to compare this ski season to last, but for March the town was up around 7% compared to last year.