County government · Jefferson County, CO

Jefferson County's money: where it comes from and where it goes

In the latest recorded fiscal year (ended December 31, 2023), Jefferson County took in $636 million and spent $606 million.

Latest recorded year: ended December 31, 2023Comes fromGoes to

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Where it comes from

County taxes59%State tax money24%Fees for services (airport, road charges)8.7%Fines and other6.9%Federal tax money0.3%Local tax money0.3%

What stands out

12%

of Jefferson County's money comes from sales tax.A typical U.S. county of 250,000+ people gets 2.7%.

County taxes59%

Property tax
43%$273 million
Sales tax
12%$77.9 million
Other taxes
4.3%$27.4 million
What's in other taxesOther licenses and motor vehicle licenses
  • Other licenses$25.2 million
  • Motor vehicle licenses$2.2 million

Amounts are by Census tax category.

Fees for services8.7%

Fees for services
8.7%$55.0 million
What's in fees for servicesOther service charges; airport and 1 more
  • Other service charges$45.7 million
  • Airport$5.1 million
  • Road charges$4.2 million

Amounts are by Census type of charge.

Federal tax money0.3%

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

From the federal government
0.3%$2.1 million

State tax money24%

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

From the state
24%$155 million

Local tax money0.3%

Money passed on by the county or other local governments.

From other local governments
0.3%$2.1 million

Fines and other6.9%

Interest, rents and other
6.9%$43.8 million
Fines
<0.1%$414 thousand

Where it goes

Running the government and other costs27%Police, fire, courts and jails25%Parks, recreation and libraries15%Social services11%Roads, transit and parking9.4%All other spending13%

What stands out

15%

of Jefferson County's spending goes to parks, recreation and libraries.A typical U.S. county of 250,000+ people spends 2.6%.

Spending by category100%

Running the government and other costs
27%$165 million
What's in running the government and other costsOther and not broken out; finance, tax collection and budgeting and 2 more
  • Other and not broken out$92.5 million
  • Finance, tax collection and budgeting$31.2 million
  • Central staff services (personnel, purchasing, technology)$21.4 million
  • Government buildings$19.8 million
Police, fire, courts and jails
25%$149 million
What's in police, fire, courts and jailsPolice; prisons and jails and 3 more
  • Police$63.2 million
  • Prisons and jails$51.0 million
  • Courts and legal services$30.7 million
  • Inspections and regulation$3.7 million
  • Probation, parole and other corrections$15 thousand
Parks, recreation and libraries
15%$88.9 million
What's in parks, recreation and librariesParks and recreation and libraries
  • Parks and recreation$47.2 million
  • Libraries$41.6 million
Social services
11%$66.9 million
What's in social servicesOther public welfare
  • Other public welfare$66.9 million
Roads, transit and parking
9.4%$56.7 million
What's in roads, transit and parkingRoads and highways and airports
  • Roads and highways$51.1 million
  • Airports$5.6 million
Sent to other local governments
7.0%$42.2 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$42.2 million
Health and hospitals
5.1%$30.9 million
What's in health and hospitalsPublic health
  • Public health$30.9 million
Housing and community development
0.7%$4.2 million
Interest on debt
0.3%$1.7 million
Environment and natural resources
0.1%$760 thousand
What's in environment and natural resourcesNatural resources, farming and conservation
  • Natural resources, farming and conservation$760 thousand
Water, sewer, trash and utilities
<0.1%$250 thousand
What's in water, sewer, trash and utilitiesGarbage and solid waste
  • Garbage and solid waste$250 thousand
Sources and moreWhere these numbers come from and what they cover

Jefferson County. U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, individual unit file, fiscal year ended December 31, 2023.

What this covers. The money of Jefferson 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.