City government · San Diego County, CA

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

In the latest recorded fiscal year (ended June 30, 2024), Carlsbad took in $401 million and spent $335 million.

Latest recorded year: ended June 30, 2024Comes fromGoes to

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Where it comes from

City taxes52%Fees for services (water, sewer)26%Fines and other15%Federal tax money3.7%State tax money2.9%

What stands out

15%

of Carlsbad's money comes from interest, rents and other revenue.A typical U.S. city of 50,000+ people gets 6.9%.

City taxes52%

Property tax
23%$93.2 million
Sales tax
15%$59.6 million
Other taxes
14%$55.2 million
What's in other taxesOther selective sales taxes; public utility taxes and 3 more
  • Other selective sales taxes$34.0 million
  • Public utility taxes$8.1 million
  • Occupation and business licenses$6.4 million
  • Other licenses$5.3 million
  • Real estate and stock transfer taxes$1.3 million

Amounts are by Census tax category.

Fees for services26%

Fees for services
26%$104 million
What's in fees for servicesWater; sewer and 4 more
  • Water$47.7 million
  • Sewer$23.9 million
  • Parks and recreation$14.7 million
  • Other service charges$13.7 million
  • Garbage collection$2.8 million
  • Housing$1.4 million

Amounts are by Census type of charge.

Federal tax money3.7%

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

From the federal government
3.7%$14.9 million

State tax money2.9%

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

From the state
2.9%$11.5 million

County and local tax money<0.1%

Money passed on by the county or other local governments.

From the county and other local governments
<0.1%$126 thousand

Fines and other15%

Interest, rents and other
15%$61.3 million
Fines
0.2%$670 thousand

Where it goes

Police, fire, courts and jails24%Water, sewer, trash and utilities22%Parks, recreation and libraries14%Roads, transit and parking13%Running the government and other costs12%All other spending16%

What stands out

7%

of Carlsbad's spending goes to health services and hospitals.Most U.S. cities of 50,000+ people spend nothing on this.

Spending by category100%

Police, fire, courts and jails
24%$78.7 million
What's in police, fire, courts and jailsPolice; fire protection and 1 more
  • Police$59.5 million
  • Fire protection$13.0 million
  • Inspections and regulation$6.2 million
Water, sewer, trash and utilities
22%$75.2 million
What's in water, sewer, trash and utilitiesWater supply; sewer systems and 1 more
  • Water supply$56.6 million
  • Sewer systems$12.8 million
  • Garbage and solid waste$5.8 million
Parks, recreation and libraries
14%$47.2 million
What's in parks, recreation and librariesParks and recreation and libraries
  • Parks and recreation$33.7 million
  • Libraries$13.5 million
Roads, transit and parking
13%$42.6 million
What's in roads, transit and parkingRoads and highways
  • Roads and highways$42.6 million
Running the government and other costs
12%$38.7 million
What's in running the government and other costsCentral staff services (personnel, purchasing, technology) and other and not broken out
  • Central staff services (personnel, purchasing, technology)$27.3 million
  • Other and not broken out$11.4 million
Housing and community development
8.1%$27.0 million
Health and hospitals
7.0%$23.3 million
What's in health and hospitalsPublic health
  • Public health$23.3 million
Interest on debt
0.6%$2.0 million
What's in interest on debtInterest on water supply debt and interest on general debt
  • Interest on water supply debt$1.2 million
  • Interest on general debt$801 thousand
Sources and moreWhere these numbers come from and what they cover

City of Carlsbad. U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, individual unit file, fiscal year ended June 30, 2024.

What this covers. The money of City of Carlsbad 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.