City government · Miami-Dade County, FL

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

In the latest recorded fiscal year (ended September 30, 2024), Miami took in $1.60 billion and spent $1.43 billion.

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

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Where it comes from

City taxes60%Fines and other11%Fees for services (parking, public safety services)11%County and local tax money7.6%State tax money5.8%Federal tax money5.6%

What stands out

41%

of Miami's money comes from property tax.A typical U.S. city of 50,000+ people gets 20%.

City taxes60%

Property tax
41%$658 million
Other taxes
19%$297 million
What's in other taxesUtility and communications taxes; other general taxes and 11 more
  • Permits and other fees$86.7 million
    Building permits $46.4 millionOther fees and special assessments $40.3 million
  • Utility and communications taxes$82.6 million
    Electric utility tax $50.0 millionCommunications services tax $22.5 millionWater utility tax $9.0 millionGas utility tax $921 thousandFuel oil utility tax $102 thousand
  • Business tax and franchise fees$72.0 million
    Electric franchise fee $37.6 millionOther franchise fees $25.0 millionLocal business tax $8.4 millionGas franchise fee $1.0 million
  • Other general taxes$48.6 million
  • Selective sales taxes$7.6 million
    Local option fuel tax $7.6 million

Each line is an account in the government's own report, grouped by The Community Brief.

Fees for services11%

Fees for services
11%$170 million
What's in fees for servicesParking; public safety services and 14 more
  • Parking$69.3 million
    Transportation - Parking Facilities $69.3 million
  • Public safety services$34.1 million
    Public Safety - Other Public Safety Charges and Fees $26.5 millionPublic Safety - Emergency Management Service Fees / Charges $7.0 millionPublic Safety - Protective Inspection Fees $584 thousand
  • Administrative and other service fees$25.1 million
    General Government - Other General Government Charges and Fees $25.1 million
  • Parks, recreation and culture$19.6 million
    Culture / Recreation - Other Culture / Recreation Charges $16.7 millionCulture / Recreation - Special Recreation Facilities $2.9 millionCulture / Recreation - Parks and Recreation $7 thousand
  • Other service charges$19.3 million
    Other Charges for Services (Not Court-Related) $19.3 million
  • Ambulance$1.4 million
    Public Safety - Ambulance Fees $1.4 million
  • Tolls$597 thousand
    Transportation - Tolls (Ferry, Road, Bridge, etc.) $597 thousand
  • Stormwater and other utilities$188 thousand
    Physical Environment - Other Physical Environment Charges $126 thousandPhysical Environment - Electric Utility $60 thousandPhysical Environment - Cemetary $2 thousand
  • Water and sewer$16 thousand
    Physical Environment - Water Utility $16 thousand
  • Transit and other transportation$235
    Transportation - Other Transportation Charges $235

Each line is an account in the government's own report, grouped by The Community Brief.

Federal tax money5.6%

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

From the federal government
5.6%$90.1 million

State tax money5.8%

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

From the state
5.8%$92.9 million

County and local tax money7.6%

Money passed on by the county or other local governments.

From the county and other local governments
7.6%$121 million

Fines and other11%

Interest, rents and other
10%$161 million
Fines
0.7%$10.7 million

Where it goes

Police, fire, courts and jails49%Running the government and other costs15%Housing and community development9.4%Parks, recreation and libraries9.3%Water, sewer, trash and utilities8.4%All other spending8.9%

What stands out

49%

of Miami's spending goes to police, fire, courts and jails.A typical U.S. city of 50,000+ people spends 25%.

Spending by category100%

Police, fire, courts and jails
49%$693 million
What's in police, fire, courts and jailsLaw enforcement; fire control and 2 more
  • Law Enforcement$383 million
  • Fire Control$244 million
  • Protective Inspections$46.2 million
  • Emergency and Disaster Relief Services$19.5 million
Running the government and other costs
15%$221 million
What's in running the government and other costsFinancial and administrative; other general government services and 4 more
  • Financial and Administrative$95.5 million
  • Other General Government Services$73.4 million
  • Legislative$14.4 million
  • Executive$13.3 million
  • Legal Counsel$12.2 million
  • Comprehensive Planning$11.9 million
Housing and community development
9.4%$134 million
What's in housing and community developmentOther economic environment and housing and urban development
  • Other Economic Environment$86.0 million
  • Housing and Urban Development$47.8 million
Parks, recreation and libraries
9.3%$133 million
What's in parks, recreation and librariesParks and recreation and special recreation facilities
  • Parks and Recreation$91.2 million
  • Special Recreation Facilities$41.7 million
Water, sewer, trash and utilities
8.4%$119 million
What's in water, sewer, trash and utilitiesFlood control / stormwater management and garbage / solid waste control services
  • Flood Control / Stormwater Management$62.3 million
  • Garbage / Solid Waste Control Services$57.2 million
Interest on debt
5.2%$74.5 million
Roads, transit and parking
2.7%$39.0 million
What's in roads, transit and parkingRoad and street facilities and other transportation systems / services
  • Road and Street Facilities$19.6 million
  • Other Transportation Systems / Services$19.5 million
Social services
0.9%$13.3 million
What's in social servicesPublic assistance services
  • Public Assistance Services$13.3 million

Transfers out (58x) and other uses (59x) are left out, except interest and debt service: 517 and 59x interest accounts are kept under interest and include principal as well as interest.

Sources and moreWhere these numbers come from and what they cover

City of Miami. Florida Office of Economic and Demographic Research, city revenues by account code (from the Annual Financial Report filed with the Florida Department of Financial Services), fiscal year ended September 30, 2024. Cross-check: the Census Bureau's record for the year ended September 30, 2023 shows revenue $1.42 billion and spending $1.58 billion.

What this covers. The money of City of Miami 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.