City government · Santa Barbara County, CA

Santa Maria's money: where it comes from and where it goes

In the latest recorded fiscal year (ended June 30, 2024), Santa Maria took in $284 million and spent $239 million.

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

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Where it comes from

Fees for services (water, garbage collection)39%City taxes39%Fines and other13%Federal tax money5.7%State tax money2.5%County and local tax money1.1%

What stands out

24%

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

City taxes39%

Sales tax
24%$69.1 million
Property tax
9.5%$26.9 million
Other taxes
5.0%$14.2 million
What's in other taxesPublic utility taxes; other selective sales taxes and 3 more
  • Public utility taxes$5.1 million
  • Other selective sales taxes$4.0 million
  • Other licenses$4.0 million
  • Occupation and business licenses$885 thousand
  • Real estate and stock transfer taxes$327 thousand

Amounts are by Census tax category.

Fees for services39%

Fees for services
39%$111 million
What's in fees for servicesWater; garbage collection and 5 more
  • Water$46.0 million
  • Garbage collection$36.0 million
  • Sewer$14.6 million
  • Other service charges$12.0 million
  • Parks and recreation$1.2 million
  • Transit fares$1.0 million
  • Housing$30 thousand

Amounts are by Census type of charge.

Federal tax money5.7%

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

From the federal government
5.7%$16.0 million

State tax money2.5%

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

From the state
2.5%$7.1 million

County and local tax money1.1%

Money passed on by the county or other local governments.

From the county and other local governments
1.1%$3.0 million

Fines and other13%

Interest, rents and other
13%$35.6 million
Fines
0.2%$604 thousand

Where it goes

Water, sewer, trash and utilities32%Police, fire, courts and jails32%Parks, recreation and libraries12%Running the government and other costs9.8%Roads, transit and parking8.6%All other spending6.4%

What stands out

4.4%

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

Spending by category100%

Water, sewer, trash and utilities
32%$76.5 million
What's in water, sewer, trash and utilitiesGarbage and solid waste; water supply and 1 more
  • Garbage and solid waste$34.1 million
  • Water supply$32.9 million
  • Sewer systems$9.5 million
Police, fire, courts and jails
32%$75.6 million
What's in police, fire, courts and jailsPolice; fire protection and 1 more
  • Police$48.3 million
  • Fire protection$22.4 million
  • Inspections and regulation$4.9 million
Parks, recreation and libraries
12%$27.8 million
What's in parks, recreation and librariesParks and recreation and libraries
  • Parks and recreation$23.4 million
  • Libraries$4.4 million
Running the government and other costs
9.8%$23.3 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)$20.3 million
  • Other and not broken out$3.0 million
Roads, transit and parking
8.6%$20.4 million
What's in roads, transit and parkingRoads and highways and public transit
  • Roads and highways$18.1 million
  • Public transit$2.4 million
Health and hospitals
4.4%$10.5 million
What's in health and hospitalsPublic health
  • Public health$10.5 million
Housing and community development
1.0%$2.5 million
Interest on debt
0.9%$2.2 million
What's in interest on debtInterest on water supply debt and interest on general debt
  • Interest on water supply debt$1.3 million
  • Interest on general debt$900 thousand
Sources and moreWhere these numbers come from and what they cover

City of Santa Maria. 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 Maria 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.