County government · Palo Alto County, IA

Palo Alto County's money: where it comes from and where it goes

In the latest recorded fiscal year (ended June 30, 2024), Palo Alto County took in $60.4 million and spent $54.3 million.

Latest recorded year: ended June 30, 2024Estimated by the U.S. Census BureauComes fromGoes to

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Where it comes from

Fees for services (hospital bills, road charges)67%County taxes17%Fines and other8.0%State tax money7.5%

What stands out

67%

of Palo Alto County's money comes from fees for services such as water, sewer and parking.A typical U.S. county of under 50,000 people gets 8.4%.

County taxes17%

Property tax
16%$9.9 million
Sales tax
0.8%$488 thousand
Other taxes
0.3%$180 thousand
What's in other taxesPublic utility taxes and other licenses
  • Public utility taxes$154 thousand
  • Other licenses$26 thousand

Amounts are by Census tax category.

Fees for services67%

Fees for services
67%$40.5 million
What's in fees for servicesHospital bills; other service charges and 1 more
  • Hospital bills$39.4 million
  • Other service charges$1.0 million
  • Road charges$67 thousand

Amounts are by Census type of charge.

State tax money7.5%

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

From the state
7.5%$4.5 million

Fines and other8.0%

Interest, rents and other
8.0%$4.8 million

Where it goes

Health and hospitals66%Roads, transit and parking15%Running the government and other costs5.9%Police, fire, courts and jails4.9%Environment and natural resources4.6%All other spending3.4%

What stands out

66%

of Palo Alto County's spending goes to health services and hospitals.A typical U.S. county of under 50,000 people spends 4.8%.

Spending by category100%

Health and hospitals
66%$35.9 million
What's in health and hospitalsHospitals and public health
  • Hospitals$35.3 million
  • Public health$546 thousand
Roads, transit and parking
15%$8.3 million
What's in roads, transit and parkingRoads and highways
  • Roads and highways$8.3 million
Running the government and other costs
5.9%$3.2 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$1.5 million
  • Central staff services (personnel, purchasing, technology)$935 thousand
  • Finance, tax collection and budgeting$558 thousand
  • Government buildings$196 thousand
Police, fire, courts and jails
4.9%$2.7 million
What's in police, fire, courts and jailsPolice; courts and legal services and 2 more
  • Police$1.7 million
  • Courts and legal services$537 thousand
  • Prisons and jails$422 thousand
  • Inspections and regulation$32 thousand
Environment and natural resources
4.6%$2.5 million
What's in environment and natural resourcesNatural resources, farming and conservation
  • Natural resources, farming and conservation$2.5 million
Parks, recreation and libraries
1.3%$687 thousand
What's in parks, recreation and librariesParks and recreation and libraries
  • Parks and recreation$578 thousand
  • Libraries$109 thousand
Water, sewer, trash and utilities
1.1%$612 thousand
What's in water, sewer, trash and utilitiesGarbage and solid waste
  • Garbage and solid waste$612 thousand
Interest on debt
0.7%$360 thousand
Social services
0.3%$163 thousand
What's in social servicesOther public welfare
  • Other public welfare$163 thousand
Sources and moreWhere these numbers come from and what they cover

Palo Alto County. U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, individual unit file, fiscal year ended June 30, 2024. 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 Palo Alto 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.