City government · Santa Clara County, CA
Palo Alto's money: where it comes from and where it goes
In the latest recorded fiscal year (ended June 30, 2024), Palo Alto took in $725 million and spent $875 million.
See every government that serves your ZIP
Where it comes from
What stands out
of Palo Alto's money comes from fees for services such as water, sewer and parking.A typical U.S. city of 50,000+ people gets 30%.
City taxes25%
What's in other taxesOther selective sales taxes; public utility taxes and 3 more
- Other selective sales taxes$27.8 million
- Public utility taxes$19.0 million
- Other licenses$12.0 million
- Real estate and stock transfer taxes$7.0 million
- Occupation and business licenses$5.4 million
Amounts are by Census tax category.
Fees for services66%
What's in fees for servicesElectric power; sewer and 10 more
- Electric power$221 million
- Sewer$70.3 million
- Gas$54.4 million
- Water$47.5 million
- Garbage collection$32.7 million
- Other service charges$31.9 million
- Parks and recreation$11.0 million
- Other government-run businesses$3.9 million
- Airport$3.1 million
- Housing$3.1 million
- Parking$2.7 million
- Road charges$330 thousand
Amounts are by Census type of charge.
Federal tax money1.1%
Grants from Washington, paid for by the federal taxes residents also pay.
State tax money0.8%
Money the state passes on, paid for by the state taxes residents also pay.
Fines and other7.0%
Where it goes
What stands out
of Palo Alto's spending goes to local governments.Most U.S. cities of 50,000+ people spend nothing on this.
Spending by category100%
What's in water, sewer, trash and utilitiesElectric power; sewer systems and 3 more
- Electric power$149 million
- Sewer systems$143 million
- Water supply$57.3 million
- Gas supply$40.5 million
- Garbage and solid waste$35.6 million
What's in sent to other local governmentsSent to local governments: other and not broken out and sent to the state government
- Sent to local governments: other and not broken out$105 million
- Sent to the state government$9.0 million
What's in running the government and other costsOther and not broken out; central staff services (personnel, purchasing, technology) and 3 more
- Other and not broken out$43.7 million
- Central staff services (personnel, purchasing, technology)$43.1 million
- Government buildings$19.6 million
- Other government-run businesses$2.6 million
- Finance, tax collection and budgeting$2.0 million
What's in police, fire, courts and jailsPolice; fire protection and 1 more
- Police$56.2 million
- Fire protection$49.3 million
- Courts and legal services$487 thousand
What's in parks, recreation and librariesParks and recreation and libraries
- Parks and recreation$49.2 million
- Libraries$13.9 million
What's in roads, transit and parkingRoads and highways; parking and 2 more
- Roads and highways$24.1 million
- Parking$5.8 million
- Public transit$4.9 million
- Airports$3.9 million
What's in interest on debtInterest on electric power debt; interest on general debt and 2 more
- Interest on electric power debt$8.5 million
- Interest on general debt$6.2 million
- Interest on water supply debt$1.3 million
- Interest on gas supply debt$40 thousand
Sources and moreWhere these numbers come from and what they cover
City of Palo Alto. 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 Palo Alto 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.