County government · Oakland County, MI

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

In the latest recorded fiscal year (ended September 30, 2023), Oakland County took in $1.73 billion and spent $1.68 billion.

Latest recorded year: ended September 30, 2023Comes fromGoes to

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Where it comes from

State tax money49%County taxes19%Fees for services (water, sewer)17%Federal tax money9.4%Fines and other3.4%Local tax money2.3%

What stands out

49%

of Oakland County's money comes from state tax money.A typical U.S. county of 250,000+ people gets 19%.

County taxes19%

Property tax
17%$286 million
Other taxes
2.1%$36.4 million
What's in other taxesReal estate and stock transfer taxes; public utility taxes and 4 more
  • Real estate and stock transfer taxes$21.8 million
  • Public utility taxes$9.2 million
  • Other licenses$3.0 million
  • Occupation and business licenses$1.2 million
  • Other taxes not classified elsewhere$1.2 million
  • Public utility licenses$94 thousand

Amounts are by Census tax category.

Fees for services17%

Fees for services
17%$293 million
What's in fees for servicesWater; sewer and 4 more
  • Water$116 million
  • Sewer$105 million
  • Other service charges$49.1 million
  • Parks and recreation$12.4 million
  • Airport$6.5 million
  • Road charges$3.9 million

Amounts are by Census type of charge.

Federal tax money9.4%

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

From the federal government
9.4%$163 million

State tax money49%

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

From the state
49%$850 million

Local tax money2.3%

Money passed on by the county or other local governments.

From other local governments
2.3%$40.6 million

Fines and other3.4%

Interest, rents and other
3.1%$53.9 million
Fines
0.3%$5.1 million

Where it goes

Health and hospitals36%Roads, transit and parking18%Police, fire, courts and jails16%Water, sewer, trash and utilities13%Running the government and other costs11%All other spending6.0%

What stands out

36%

of Oakland County's spending goes to health services and hospitals.A typical U.S. county of 250,000+ people spends 7.9%.

Spending by category100%

Health and hospitals
36%$605 million
What's in health and hospitalsPublic health
  • Public health$605 million
Roads, transit and parking
18%$296 million
What's in roads, transit and parkingRoads and highways and airports
  • Roads and highways$291 million
  • Airports$5.1 million
Police, fire, courts and jails
16%$274 million
What's in police, fire, courts and jailsPolice; courts and legal services and 2 more
  • Police$115 million
  • Courts and legal services$85.3 million
  • Prisons and jails$73.4 million
  • Probation, parole and other corrections$607 thousand
Water, sewer, trash and utilities
13%$222 million
What's in water, sewer, trash and utilitiesSewer systems and water supply
  • Sewer systems$128 million
  • Water supply$93.8 million
Running the government and other costs
11%$184 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$82.6 million
  • Central staff services (personnel, purchasing, technology)$65.9 million
  • Finance, tax collection and budgeting$31.4 million
  • Government buildings$4.6 million
Social services
2.4%$40.7 million
What's in social servicesOther public welfare and welfare institutions
  • Other public welfare$29.9 million
  • Welfare institutions$10.8 million
Parks, recreation and libraries
1.8%$29.7 million
What's in parks, recreation and librariesParks and recreation
  • Parks and recreation$29.7 million
Sent to other local governments
1.2%$20.5 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$20.5 million
Interest on debt
0.6%$10.9 million
What's in interest on debtInterest on general debt and interest on water supply debt
  • Interest on general debt$9.7 million
  • Interest on water supply debt$1.2 million
Housing and community development
<0.1%$2 thousand
Sources and moreWhere these numbers come from and what they cover

Oakland County. U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, individual unit file, fiscal year ended September 30, 2023.

What this covers. The money of Oakland 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.