City government · Maricopa County, AZ

Tempe's money: where it comes from and where it goes

In the latest recorded fiscal year (ended June 30, 2024), Tempe took in $644 million and spent $607 million.

Latest recorded year: ended June 30, 2024Estimated by the U.S. Census BureauComes fromGoes to

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Where it comes from

City taxes48%Fees for services (water, sewer)22%State tax money16%Fines and other7.6%Federal tax money6.1%

What stands out

36%

of Tempe's money comes from sales tax.A typical U.S. city of 50,000+ people gets 7.8%.

City taxes48%

Sales tax
36%$231 million
Property tax
10%$66.1 million
Other taxes
2.1%$13.6 million
What's in other taxesOther licenses and public utility taxes
  • Other licenses$10.8 million
  • Public utility taxes$2.9 million

Amounts are by Census tax category.

Fees for services22%

Fees for services
22%$142 million
What's in fees for servicesWater; sewer and 5 more
  • Water$51.8 million
  • Sewer$41.4 million
  • Garbage collection$19.4 million
  • Transit fares$13.1 million
  • Other service charges$10.1 million
  • Parks and recreation$5.9 million
  • Road charges$51 thousand

Amounts are by Census type of charge.

Federal tax money6.1%

Grants from Washington, paid for by the federal taxes residents also pay.

From the federal government
6.1%$39.6 million

State tax money16%

Money the state passes on, paid for by the state taxes residents also pay.

From the state
16%$103 million

Fines and other7.6%

Interest, rents and other
6.1%$39.5 million
Fines
1.5%$9.5 million

Where it goes

Police, fire, courts and jails36%Water, sewer, trash and utilities19%Roads, transit and parking17%Running the government and other costs12%Parks, recreation and libraries7.8%All other spending7.5%

What stands out

36%

of Tempe's spending goes to police, fire, courts and jails.A typical U.S. city of 50,000+ people spends 25%.

Spending by category100%

Police, fire, courts and jails
36%$221 million
What's in police, fire, courts and jailsPolice; fire protection and 2 more
  • Police$134 million
  • Fire protection$64.6 million
  • Inspections and regulation$11.9 million
  • Courts and legal services$10.4 million
Water, sewer, trash and utilities
19%$116 million
What's in water, sewer, trash and utilitiesSewer systems; water supply and 1 more
  • Sewer systems$47.7 million
  • Water supply$43.8 million
  • Garbage and solid waste$24.1 million
Roads, transit and parking
17%$103 million
What's in roads, transit and parkingPublic transit and roads and highways
  • Public transit$63.9 million
  • Roads and highways$38.8 million
Running the government and other costs
12%$74.6 million
What's in running the government and other costsOther and not broken out; central staff services (personnel, purchasing, technology) and 2 more
  • Other and not broken out$39.3 million
  • Central staff services (personnel, purchasing, technology)$14.0 million
  • Government buildings$12.5 million
  • Finance, tax collection and budgeting$8.8 million
Parks, recreation and libraries
7.8%$47.1 million
What's in parks, recreation and librariesParks and recreation and libraries
  • Parks and recreation$43.2 million
  • Libraries$3.9 million
Interest on debt
3.2%$19.2 million
What's in interest on debtInterest on general debt and interest on public transit debt
  • Interest on general debt$18.3 million
  • Interest on public transit debt$984 thousand
Housing and community development
3.1%$18.9 million
Health and hospitals
1.3%$7.6 million
What's in health and hospitalsPublic health
  • Public health$7.6 million
Sources and moreWhere these numbers come from and what they cover

City of Tempe. U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, individual unit file, fiscal year ended June 30, 2024. Most of this government's figures were estimated by the U.S. Census Bureau from a sample; the government did not report them itself.

What this covers. The money of City of Tempe itself. Other governments that serve the same area (the city, county, school district and state) are separate and not included. Borrowing, transfers between a government's own funds, and pension trust funds are not counted as revenue.