Town government · Middlesex County, MA

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

In the latest recorded fiscal year (ended June 30, 2024), Arlington took in $245 million and spent $364 million.

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

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Where it comes from

Town taxes65%Fees for services (water, school tuition and transportation)17%State tax money14%Fines and other2.0%Federal tax money1.1%

What stands out

17%

of Arlington's money comes from fees for services such as water, sewer and parking.A typical U.S. township or town of 10,000 to 50,000 people gets 8.8%.

Town taxes65%

Property tax
63%$154 million
Other taxes
2.7%$6.7 million
What's in other taxesOther licenses and other selective sales taxes
  • Other licenses$5.0 million
  • Other selective sales taxes$1.6 million

Amounts are by Census tax category.

Fees for services17%

Fees for services
17%$42.2 million
What's in fees for servicesWater; other service charges and 4 more
  • Water$23.7 million
  • Other service charges$12.0 million
  • School tuition and transportation$4.0 million
  • Parks and recreation$2.2 million
  • School lunches$240 thousand
  • Other school charges$37 thousand

Amounts are by Census type of charge.

Federal tax money1.1%

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

From the federal government
1.1%$2.6 million

State tax money14%

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

From the state
14%$35.1 million

Fines and other2.0%

Interest, rents and other
2.0%$5.0 million
Fines
<0.1%$14 thousand

Where it goes

Schools and colleges42%Running the government and other costs35%Interest on debt6.5%Water, sewer, trash and utilities6.4%Police, fire, courts and jails4.2%All other spending5.1%

What stands out

42%

of Arlington's spending goes to schools and colleges.Most U.S. townships and towns of 10,000 to 50,000 people spend nothing on this.

Spending by category100%

Schools and colleges
42%$154 million
What's in schools and collegesElementary and secondary schools
  • Elementary and secondary schools$154 million
Running the government and other costs
35%$129 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$125 million
  • Central staff services (personnel, purchasing, technology)$1.5 million
  • Finance, tax collection and budgeting$1.2 million
  • Government buildings$743 thousand
Interest on debt
6.5%$23.8 million
What's in interest on debtInterest on general debt and interest on water supply debt
  • Interest on general debt$23.7 million
  • Interest on water supply debt$24 thousand
Water, sewer, trash and utilities
6.4%$23.3 million
What's in water, sewer, trash and utilitiesWater supply and garbage and solid waste
  • Water supply$19.9 million
  • Garbage and solid waste$3.4 million
Police, fire, courts and jails
4.2%$15.3 million
What's in police, fire, courts and jailsPolice; fire protection and 2 more
  • Police$7.3 million
  • Fire protection$7.0 million
  • Courts and legal services$572 thousand
  • Inspections and regulation$428 thousand
Sent to other local governments
2.1%$7.5 million
What's in sent to other local governmentsSent to local governments: other and not broken out and sent to the state government
  • Sent to local governments: other and not broken out$4.2 million
  • Sent to the state government$3.3 million
Parks, recreation and libraries
1.4%$5.0 million
What's in parks, recreation and librariesParks and recreation and libraries
  • Parks and recreation$2.9 million
  • Libraries$2.1 million
Roads, transit and parking
1.1%$4.2 million
What's in roads, transit and parkingRoads and highways
  • Roads and highways$4.2 million
Housing and community development
0.3%$1.0 million
Health and hospitals
0.2%$640 thousand
What's in health and hospitalsPublic health
  • Public health$640 thousand
Social services
<0.1%$198 thousand
What's in social servicesOther public welfare
  • Other public welfare$198 thousand
Sources and moreWhere these numbers come from and what they cover

Town of Arlington. 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 Town of Arlington 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.