This month I had the chance to dig into two important reports on Gunnison's economy. One from the City, one commissioned by the Tourism and Prosperity Partnership (TAPP). They are worth discussing together.

The headline is actually good

The City of Gunnison released its sales tax report through March 2026 in early May. Overall collections are up just over 5% year over year, though we know that average masks a wide range of experiences on the ground. For a mountain town in an uncertain national economy, this is a relatively encouraging sign.

The picture underneath is more interesting

New economic research commissioned by TAPP and presented to the Board of County Commissioners last week paints a bigger picture of what is driving the economy. Gunnison is more of an amenity economy than ever before. Outside income flowing into the valley from retirees, remote workers, and others has grown 147 percent since 2010, and retiree income alone has more than doubled over that period. Second homeowners account for 30 percent of the outside income flowing into the county. While this data covers the entire county, Gunnison is seeing its own share of this growth. The research suggests the forces driving the local economy have shifted significantly over the past 15 years, in ways worth paying attention to.

What this means for your business

Summer tourism drives local business and that is not changing. But retirees and remote workers are here all year, and the numbers suggest they are a bigger part of the economy than most of us realize. They tend to come from urban environments and have higher disposable incomes that come from outside the valley. The question is whether local businesses are capturing it, and it is something the Chamber intends to dig into this year. If you are noticing this shift in your own business, we would love to hear about it.

City sales tax report: gunnisonco.gov/salestax