City government · Benton County, AR

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

In the latest recorded fiscal year (ended December 31, 2023), Bentonville took in $257 million and spent $223 million.

Latest recorded year: ended December 31, 2023Comes fromGoes to

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Where it comes from

Fees for services (electric power, sewer)52%City taxes31%Fines and other7.1%County and local tax money6.6%State tax money1.8%Federal tax money1.1%

What stands out

22%

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

City taxes31%

Sales tax
22%$57.7 million
Property tax
5.4%$13.8 million
Other taxes
3.4%$8.7 million
What's in other taxesPublic utility taxes; other licenses and 2 more
  • Public utility taxes$6.0 million
  • Other licenses$2.5 million
  • Alcoholic beverage licenses$97 thousand
  • Alcoholic beverage taxes$36 thousand

Amounts are by Census tax category.

Fees for services52%

Fees for services
52%$134 million
What's in fees for servicesElectric power; sewer and 7 more
  • Electric power$85.9 million
  • Sewer$17.4 million
  • Water$14.8 million
  • Garbage collection$7.4 million
  • Parks and recreation$5.1 million
  • Other service charges$2.7 million
  • Airport$169 thousand
  • Road charges$114 thousand
  • Other government-run businesses$84 thousand

Amounts are by Census type of charge.

Federal tax money1.1%

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

From the federal government
1.1%$2.8 million

State tax money1.8%

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

From the state
1.8%$4.6 million

County and local tax money6.6%

Money passed on by the county or other local governments.

From the county and other local governments
6.6%$17.0 million

Fines and other7.1%

Interest, rents and other
6.9%$17.8 million
Fines
0.2%$496 thousand

Where it goes

Water, sewer, trash and utilities50%Police, fire, courts and jails15%Parks, recreation and libraries14%Roads, transit and parking9.1%Running the government and other costs8.0%All other spending3.6%

What stands out

50%

of Bentonville's spending goes to water, sewer, trash and other utilities.A typical U.S. city of 50,000+ people spends 20%.

Spending by category100%

Water, sewer, trash and utilities
50%$112 million
What's in water, sewer, trash and utilitiesElectric power; water supply and 2 more
  • Electric power$78.2 million
  • Water supply$15.8 million
  • Sewer systems$11.5 million
  • Garbage and solid waste$6.8 million
Police, fire, courts and jails
15%$34.2 million
What's in police, fire, courts and jailsFire protection; police and 2 more
  • Fire protection$16.7 million
  • Police$15.3 million
  • Inspections and regulation$1.2 million
  • Courts and legal services$935 thousand
Parks, recreation and libraries
14%$30.6 million
What's in parks, recreation and librariesParks and recreation and libraries
  • Parks and recreation$23.3 million
  • Libraries$7.2 million
Roads, transit and parking
9.1%$20.2 million
What's in roads, transit and parkingRoads and highways and airports
  • Roads and highways$15.3 million
  • Airports$5.0 million
Running the government and other costs
8.0%$17.9 million
What's in running the government and other costsOther and not broken out; central staff services (personnel, purchasing, technology) and 1 more
  • Other and not broken out$9.1 million
  • Central staff services (personnel, purchasing, technology)$7.6 million
  • Finance, tax collection and budgeting$1.2 million
Sent to other local governments
2.6%$5.9 million
What's in sent to other local governmentsSent to local governments: other and not broken out
  • Sent to local governments: other and not broken out$5.9 million
Interest on debt
0.9%$2.1 million
What's in interest on debtInterest on general debt; interest on electric power debt and 1 more
  • Interest on general debt$1.8 million
  • Interest on electric power debt$177 thousand
  • Interest on water supply debt$66 thousand
Sources and moreWhere these numbers come from and what they cover

City of Bentonville. U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, individual unit file, fiscal year ended December 31, 2023.

What this covers. The money of City of Bentonville 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.