City government · Jefferson County, CO

Lakewood's money: where it comes from and where it goes

In the latest recorded fiscal year (ended December 31, 2023), Lakewood took in $254 million and spent $241 million.

Latest recorded year: ended December 31, 2023Estimated by the U.S. Census BureauComes fromGoes to

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Where it comes from

City taxes63%Fees for services (parks and recreation, sewer)19%State tax money5.4%County and local tax money5.3%Federal tax money3.6%Fines and other2.9%

What stands out

46%

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

City taxes63%

Sales tax
46%$118 million
Property tax
11%$27.4 million
Other taxes
6.2%$15.8 million
What's in other taxesOther selective sales taxes; other licenses and 3 more
  • Other selective sales taxes$9.6 million
  • Other licenses$4.5 million
  • Public utility taxes$1.0 million
  • Occupation and business licenses$683 thousand
  • Other taxes not classified elsewhere$40 thousand

Amounts are by Census tax category.

Fees for services19%

Fees for services
19%$49.0 million
What's in fees for servicesOther service charges; parks and recreation and 2 more
  • Other service charges$29.4 million
  • Parks and recreation$14.2 million
  • Sewer$4.2 million
  • Water$1.2 million

Amounts are by Census type of charge.

Federal tax money3.6%

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

From the federal government
3.6%$9.1 million

State tax money5.4%

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

From the state
5.4%$13.8 million

County and local tax money5.3%

Money passed on by the county or other local governments.

From the county and other local governments
5.3%$13.5 million

Fines and other2.9%

Interest, rents and other
2.2%$5.5 million
Fines
0.7%$1.9 million

Where it goes

Police, fire, courts and jails32%Parks, recreation and libraries22%Running the government and other costs21%Roads, transit and parking16%Housing and community development7.2%All other spending2.6%

What stands out

22%

of Lakewood's spending goes to parks, recreation and libraries.A typical U.S. city of 50,000+ people spends 6.4%.

Spending by category100%

Police, fire, courts and jails
32%$75.8 million
What's in police, fire, courts and jailsPolice; inspections and regulation and 1 more
  • Police$62.8 million
  • Inspections and regulation$6.9 million
  • Courts and legal services$6.2 million
Parks, recreation and libraries
22%$53.7 million
What's in parks, recreation and librariesParks and recreation
  • Parks and recreation$53.7 million
Running the government and other costs
21%$49.5 million
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$35.0 million
  • Central staff services (personnel, purchasing, technology)$10.8 million
  • Finance, tax collection and budgeting$3.7 million
Roads, transit and parking
16%$38.1 million
What's in roads, transit and parkingRoads and highways
  • Roads and highways$38.1 million
Housing and community development
7.2%$17.4 million
Water, sewer, trash and utilities
2.4%$5.7 million
What's in water, sewer, trash and utilitiesSewer systems and water supply
  • Sewer systems$4.5 million
  • Water supply$1.2 million
Interest on debt
0.2%$444 thousand
Sources and moreWhere these numbers come from and what they cover

City of Lakewood. U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, individual unit file, fiscal year ended December 31, 2023. Most of this government's figures were estimated by the U.S. Census Bureau from a sample; the government did not report them itself.

What this covers. The money of City of Lakewood 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.