County government · Santa Clara County, CA
Santa Clara County's money: where it comes from and where it goes
In the latest recorded fiscal year (ended June 30, 2024), Santa Clara County took in $12.7 billion and spent $12.3 billion.
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Where it comes from
What stands out
of Santa Clara County's money comes from fees for services such as water, sewer and parking.A typical U.S. county of 250,000+ people gets 14%.
County taxes18%
What's in other taxesOther licenses; real estate and stock transfer taxes and 3 more
- Other licenses$26.9 million
- Real estate and stock transfer taxes$25.4 million
- Occupation and business licenses$19.6 million
- Public utility taxes$3.6 million
- Other selective sales taxes$1.0 million
Amounts are by Census tax category.
Fees for services50%
What's in fees for servicesHospital bills; other service charges and 7 more
- Hospital bills$4.05 billion
- Other service charges$2.16 billion
- Other school charges$25.1 million
- Sewer$19.0 million
- Parks and recreation$6.8 million
- Airport$5.5 million
- Parks, land and natural resources$1.7 million
- Road charges$967 thousand
- School lunches$69 thousand
Amounts are by Census type of charge.
Federal tax money2.0%
Grants from Washington, paid for by the federal taxes residents also pay.
State tax money26%
Money the state passes on, paid for by the state taxes residents also pay.
Local tax money0.4%
Money passed on by the county or other local governments.
Fines and other4.1%
Where it goes
What stands out
of Santa Clara County's spending goes to health services and hospitals.A typical U.S. county of 250,000+ people spends 7.9%.
Spending by category100%
What's in health and hospitalsPublic health and hospitals
- Public health$4.44 billion
- Hospitals$3.50 billion
What's in police, fire, courts and jailsPrisons and jails; courts and legal services and 4 more
- Prisons and jails$502 million
- Courts and legal services$358 million
- Police$237 million
- Fire protection$172 million
- Probation, parole and other corrections$26.1 million
- Inspections and regulation$2.1 million
What's in social servicesOther public welfare
- Other public welfare$1.20 billion
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$820 million
- Central staff services (personnel, purchasing, technology)$180 million
- Government buildings$103 million
What's in schools and collegesElementary and secondary schools
- Elementary and secondary schools$292 million
What's in parks, recreation and librariesParks and recreation and libraries
- Parks and recreation$107 million
- Libraries$67.0 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$89.3 million
- Sent to the state government$39.7 million
What's in roads, transit and parkingRoads and highways and airports
- Roads and highways$93.2 million
- Airports$5.4 million
What's in water, sewer, trash and utilitiesSewer systems and garbage and solid waste
- Sewer systems$16.4 million
- Garbage and solid waste$210 thousand
What's in environment and natural resourcesNatural resources, farming and conservation
- Natural resources, farming and conservation$8.7 million
Sources and moreWhere these numbers come from and what they cover
Santa Clara County. 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 Santa Clara County 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.