County government · Kauai County, HI

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

In the latest recorded fiscal year (ended June 30, 2024), Kauai County took in $441 million and spent $372 million.

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

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Where it comes from

County taxes62%Fees for services (water, sewer)13%State tax money12%Federal tax money9.7%Fines and other4.1%

What stands out

48%

of Kauai County's money comes from property tax.A typical U.S. county of 50,000 to 250,000 people gets 28%.

County taxes62%

Property tax
48%$213 million
Sales tax
6.8%$30.2 million
Other taxes
6.4%$28.3 million
What's in other taxesMotor vehicle licenses; public utility taxes and 4 more
  • Motor vehicle licenses$10.5 million
  • Public utility taxes$8.0 million
  • Motor fuel taxes$5.9 million
  • Other licenses$2.5 million
  • Alcoholic beverage licenses$1.4 million
  • Occupation and business licenses$2 thousand

Amounts are by Census tax category.

Fees for services13%

Fees for services
13%$56.1 million
What's in fees for servicesWater; sewer and 6 more
  • Water$29.1 million
  • Sewer$10.1 million
  • Garbage collection$9.8 million
  • Housing$2.6 million
  • Parks and recreation$2.0 million
  • Road charges$1.4 million
  • Transit fares$1.1 million
  • Other service charges$94 thousand

Amounts are by Census type of charge.

Federal tax money9.7%

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

From the federal government
9.7%$42.7 million

State tax money12%

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

From the state
12%$52.6 million

Fines and other4.1%

Interest, rents and other
4.1%$18.1 million
Fines
<0.1%$106 thousand

Where it goes

Police, fire, courts and jails26%Water, sewer, trash and utilities22%Running the government and other costs18%Roads, transit and parking13%Housing and community development8.5%All other spending13%

What stands out

22%

of Kauai County's spending goes to water, sewer, trash and other utilities.A typical U.S. county of 50,000 to 250,000 people spends 1.6%.

Spending by category100%

Police, fire, courts and jails
26%$95.7 million
What's in police, fire, courts and jailsPolice; fire protection and 2 more
  • Police$43.0 million
  • Fire protection$38.2 million
  • Courts and legal services$10.1 million
  • Inspections and regulation$4.3 million
Water, sewer, trash and utilities
22%$80.4 million
What's in water, sewer, trash and utilitiesWater supply; sewer systems and 1 more
  • Water supply$34.7 million
  • Sewer systems$23.0 million
  • Garbage and solid waste$22.8 million
Running the government and other costs
18%$66.2 million
What's in running the government and other costsOther and not broken out; central staff services (personnel, purchasing, technology) and 2 more
  • Other and not broken out$29.4 million
  • Central staff services (personnel, purchasing, technology)$18.7 million
  • Finance, tax collection and budgeting$12.8 million
  • Government buildings$5.2 million
Roads, transit and parking
13%$49.8 million
What's in roads, transit and parkingRoads and highways and public transit
  • Roads and highways$35.9 million
  • Public transit$14.0 million
Housing and community development
8.5%$31.8 million
Parks, recreation and libraries
6.9%$25.6 million
What's in parks, recreation and librariesParks and recreation
  • Parks and recreation$25.6 million
Social services
4.4%$16.4 million
What's in social servicesWelfare institutions
  • Welfare institutions$16.4 million
Interest on debt
1.7%$6.3 million
What's in interest on debtInterest on general debt and interest on water supply debt
  • Interest on general debt$3.9 million
  • Interest on water supply debt$2.4 million
Sources and moreWhere these numbers come from and what they cover

Kauai County. 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 Kauai 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.