City government · Santa Clara County, CA
Santa Clara's money: where it comes from and where it goes
In the latest recorded fiscal year (ended June 30, 2024), Santa Clara took in $1.52 billion and spent $1.61 billion.
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Where it comes from
What stands out
of Santa Clara'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 taxes14%
What's in other taxesOther selective sales taxes; other licenses and 4 more
- Other selective sales taxes$22.3 million
- Other licenses$14.7 million
- Public utility taxes$5.4 million
- Occupation and business licenses$4.9 million
- Real estate and stock transfer taxes$1.4 million
- Other taxes not classified elsewhere$982 thousand
Amounts are by Census tax category.
Fees for services69%
What's in fees for servicesElectric power; parks and recreation and 7 more
- Electric power$742 million
- Parks and recreation$84.0 million
- Other service charges$73.5 million
- Water$55.9 million
- Sewer$53.2 million
- Garbage collection$39.3 million
- Parking$981 thousand
- Other government-run businesses$775 thousand
- Road charges$306 thousand
Amounts are by Census type of charge.
Federal tax money0.4%
Grants from Washington, paid for by the federal taxes residents also pay.
State tax money0.7%
Money the state passes on, paid for by the state taxes residents also pay.
County and local tax money2.7%
Money passed on by the county or other local governments.
Fines and other13%
Where it goes
What stands out
of Santa Clara'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; water supply and 2 more
- Electric power$547 million
- Water supply$59.6 million
- Sewer systems$48.5 million
- Garbage and solid waste$37.8 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$343 million
What's in police, fire, courts and jailsCourts and legal services; police and 2 more
- Courts and legal services$87.8 million
- Police$85.4 million
- Fire protection$71.1 million
- Inspections and regulation$4.4 million
What's in parks, recreation and librariesParks and recreation and libraries
- Parks and recreation$121 million
- Libraries$11.9 million
What's in running the government and other costsCentral staff services (personnel, purchasing, technology); finance, tax collection and budgeting and 3 more
- Central staff services (personnel, purchasing, technology)$68.7 million
- Finance, tax collection and budgeting$18.1 million
- Other and not broken out$8.7 million
- Government buildings$1.5 million
- Other government-run businesses$1.2 million
What's in roads, transit and parkingRoads and highways and parking
- Roads and highways$64.1 million
- Parking$1.6 million
What's in interest on debtInterest on general debt and interest on electric power debt
- Interest on general debt$13.6 million
- Interest on electric power debt$2.1 million
What's in health and hospitalsPublic health
- Public health$2.6 million
Sources and moreWhere these numbers come from and what they cover
City of Santa Clara. 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 Santa Clara 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.