City government · Sedgwick County, KS

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

In the latest recorded fiscal year (ended December 31, 2023), Wichita took in $836 million and spent $937 million.

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

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Where it comes from

City taxes38%Fees for services (water, sewer)35%State tax money18%Fines and other8.5%

What stands out

18%

of Wichita's money comes from state tax money.A typical U.S. city of 50,000+ people gets 6.4%.

City taxes38%

Property tax
19%$160 million
Sales tax
9.9%$82.6 million
Other taxes
8.6%$71.6 million
What's in other taxesPublic utility taxes; other selective sales taxes and 1 more
  • Public utility taxes$55.9 million
  • Other selective sales taxes$13.4 million
  • Other licenses$2.4 million

Amounts are by Census tax category.

Fees for services35%

Fees for services
35%$296 million
What's in fees for servicesWater; sewer and 7 more
  • Water$130 million
  • Sewer$92.6 million
  • Airport$35.0 million
  • Other service charges$23.6 million
  • Parks and recreation$8.6 million
  • Garbage collection$2.5 million
  • Transit fares$2.4 million
  • Parking$1.4 million
  • Road charges$99 thousand

Amounts are by Census type of charge.

State tax money18%

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

From the state
18%$155 million

Fines and other8.5%

Interest, rents and other
7.7%$64.2 million
Fines
0.8%$6.9 million

Where it goes

Water, sewer, trash and utilities38%Police, fire, courts and jails21%Roads, transit and parking14%Running the government and other costs12%Parks, recreation and libraries5.9%All other spending9.2%

What stands out

38%

of Wichita's spending goes to water, sewer, trash and other utilities.A typical U.S. city of 50,000+ people spends 20%.

Spending by category100%

Water, sewer, trash and utilities
38%$356 million
What's in water, sewer, trash and utilitiesWater supply; sewer systems and 1 more
  • Water supply$281 million
  • Sewer systems$72.6 million
  • Garbage and solid waste$2.8 million
Police, fire, courts and jails
21%$193 million
What's in police, fire, courts and jailsPolice; fire protection and 1 more
  • Police$119 million
  • Fire protection$63.2 million
  • Courts and legal services$10.6 million
Roads, transit and parking
14%$135 million
What's in roads, transit and parkingRoads and highways; airports and 2 more
  • Roads and highways$73.6 million
  • Airports$43.4 million
  • Public transit$16.2 million
  • Parking$1.5 million
Running the government and other costs
12%$111 million
What's in running the government and other costsOther and not broken out; central staff services (personnel, purchasing, technology) and 3 more
  • Other and not broken out$92.6 million
  • Central staff services (personnel, purchasing, technology)$6.6 million
  • Finance, tax collection and budgeting$6.4 million
  • Government buildings$4.8 million
  • Other government-run businesses$85 thousand
Parks, recreation and libraries
5.9%$55.7 million
What's in parks, recreation and librariesParks and recreation and libraries
  • Parks and recreation$45.0 million
  • Libraries$10.7 million
Interest on debt
4.9%$45.9 million
What's in interest on debtInterest on general debt and interest on water supply debt
  • Interest on general debt$30.1 million
  • Interest on water supply debt$15.7 million
Health and hospitals
4.3%$40.3 million
What's in health and hospitalsPublic health
  • Public health$40.3 million
Housing and community development
<0.1%$305 thousand
Social services
<0.1%$222 thousand
What's in social servicesOther public welfare
  • Other public welfare$222 thousand
Sources and moreWhere these numbers come from and what they cover

City of Wichita. 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 City of Wichita 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.