County government · St Marys County, MD

St. Marys County's money: where it comes from and where it goes

In the latest recorded fiscal year (ended June 30, 2024), St. Marys County took in $608 million and spent $742 million.

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

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Where it comes from

County taxes50%State tax money30%Fees for services (sewer, water)9.1%Fines and other8.1%Federal tax money2.2%Local tax money0.2%

What stands out

23%

of St. Marys County's money comes from a personal income tax.Most U.S. counties of 50,000 to 250,000 people get none.

County taxes50%

Property tax
24%$145 million
Individual income tax
23%$141 million
Other taxes
3.5%$21.2 million
What's in other taxesOther selective sales taxes; real estate and stock transfer taxes and 5 more
  • Other selective sales taxes$12.9 million
  • Real estate and stock transfer taxes$6.7 million
  • Public utility licenses$857 thousand
  • Other licenses$324 thousand
  • Occupation and business licenses$163 thousand
  • Amusement taxes$113 thousand
  • Alcoholic beverage licenses$89 thousand

Amounts are by Census tax category.

Fees for services9.1%

Fees for services
9.1%$55.2 million
What's in fees for servicesSewer; water and 8 more
  • Sewer$23.5 million
  • Water$12.5 million
  • Garbage collection$5.8 million
  • Parks and recreation$4.8 million
  • Other service charges$3.0 million
  • Other school charges$2.8 million
  • School lunches$2.5 million
  • Road charges$201 thousand
  • Airport$122 thousand
  • School tuition and transportation$13 thousand

Amounts are by Census type of charge.

Federal tax money2.2%

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

From the federal government
2.2%$13.4 million

State tax money30%

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

From the state
30%$183 million

Local tax money0.2%

Money passed on by the county or other local governments.

From other local governments
0.2%$996 thousand

Fines and other8.1%

Interest, rents and other
8.1%$49.0 million
Fines
<0.1%$42 thousand

Where it goes

Schools and colleges46%Sent to other local governments19%Water, sewer, trash and utilities9.6%Police, fire, courts and jails9.5%Running the government and other costs7.6%All other spending8.4%

What stands out

46%

of St. Marys County's spending goes to schools and colleges.Most U.S. counties of 50,000 to 250,000 people spend nothing on this.

Spending by category100%

Schools and colleges
46%$340 million
What's in schools and collegesElementary and secondary schools
  • Elementary and secondary schools$340 million
Sent to other local governments
19%$142 million
What's in sent to other local governmentsSent to local governments: other and not broken out
  • Sent to local governments: other and not broken out$142 million
Water, sewer, trash and utilities
9.6%$71.3 million
What's in water, sewer, trash and utilitiesWater supply; sewer systems and 1 more
  • Water supply$35.1 million
  • Sewer systems$30.0 million
  • Garbage and solid waste$6.3 million
Police, fire, courts and jails
9.5%$70.7 million
What's in police, fire, courts and jailsPolice; prisons and jails and 2 more
  • Police$42.4 million
  • Prisons and jails$17.2 million
  • Courts and legal services$9.2 million
  • Inspections and regulation$1.9 million
Running the government and other costs
7.6%$56.1 million
What's in running the government and other costsOther and not broken out; finance, tax collection and budgeting and 2 more
  • Other and not broken out$33.4 million
  • Finance, tax collection and budgeting$10.9 million
  • Central staff services (personnel, purchasing, technology)$6.8 million
  • Government buildings$5.0 million
Roads, transit and parking
3.5%$26.2 million
What's in roads, transit and parkingRoads and highways; public transit and 1 more
  • Roads and highways$22.7 million
  • Public transit$3.4 million
  • Airports$99 thousand
Interest on debt
2.5%$18.4 million
What's in interest on debtInterest on general debt and interest on water supply debt
  • Interest on general debt$17.5 million
  • Interest on water supply debt$903 thousand
Parks, recreation and libraries
1.9%$14.2 million
What's in parks, recreation and librariesParks and recreation
  • Parks and recreation$14.2 million
Health and hospitals
0.4%$2.7 million
What's in health and hospitalsPublic health
  • Public health$2.7 million
Environment and natural resources
<0.1%$706 thousand
What's in environment and natural resourcesNatural resources, farming and conservation
  • Natural resources, farming and conservation$706 thousand
Sources and moreWhere these numbers come from and what they cover

St. Marys 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 St. Marys 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.