City government · Wright County, MN

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

In the latest recorded fiscal year (ended December 31, 2023), Buffalo took in $72.1 million and spent $62.3 million.

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

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Where it comes from

Fees for services (electric power, sewer)69%City taxes16%Federal tax money8.5%State tax money4.7%Fines and other1.6%

What stands out

69%

of Buffalo's money comes from fees for services such as water, sewer and parking.A typical U.S. city of 10,000 to 50,000 people gets 30%.

City taxes16%

Property tax
15%$10.6 million
Other taxes
1.1%$780 thousand
What's in other taxesOther licenses; public utility taxes and 1 more
  • Other licenses$717 thousand
  • Public utility taxes$56 thousand
  • Other selective sales taxes$7 thousand

Amounts are by Census tax category.

Fees for services69%

Fees for services
69%$50.1 million
What's in fees for servicesElectric power; sewer and 7 more
  • Electric power$21.5 million
  • Sewer$9.3 million
  • Liquor stores$7.9 million
  • Water$7.3 million
  • Garbage collection$1.3 million
  • Other service charges$1.2 million
  • Parks and recreation$800 thousand
  • Road charges$542 thousand
  • Airport$362 thousand

Amounts are by Census type of charge.

Federal tax money8.5%

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

From the federal government
8.5%$6.1 million

State tax money4.7%

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

From the state
4.7%$3.4 million

County and local tax money<0.1%

Money passed on by the county or other local governments.

From the county and other local governments
<0.1%$34 thousand

Fines and other1.6%

Interest, rents and other
1.6%$1.1 million
Fines
<0.1%$41 thousand

Where it goes

Water, sewer, trash and utilities63%Roads, transit and parking15%Police, fire, courts and jails8.5%Parks, recreation and libraries5.5%Interest on debt3.6%All other spending3.8%

What stands out

63%

of Buffalo's spending goes to water, sewer, trash and other utilities.A typical U.S. city of 10,000 to 50,000 people spends 24%.

Spending by category100%

Water, sewer, trash and utilities
63%$39.3 million
What's in water, sewer, trash and utilitiesElectric power; sewer systems and 3 more
  • Electric power$18.9 million
  • Sewer systems$7.6 million
  • Liquor stores$6.5 million
  • Water supply$5.2 million
  • Garbage and solid waste$1.1 million
Roads, transit and parking
15%$9.6 million
What's in roads, transit and parkingRoads and highways and airports
  • Roads and highways$9.1 million
  • Airports$456 thousand
Police, fire, courts and jails
8.5%$5.3 million
What's in police, fire, courts and jailsPolice and fire protection
  • Police$3.9 million
  • Fire protection$1.4 million
Parks, recreation and libraries
5.5%$3.4 million
What's in parks, recreation and librariesParks and recreation and libraries
  • Parks and recreation$3.3 million
  • Libraries$82 thousand
Interest on debt
3.6%$2.3 million
What's in interest on debtInterest on general debt and interest on water supply debt
  • Interest on general debt$1.7 million
  • Interest on water supply debt$579 thousand
Running the government and other costs
2.9%$1.8 million
What's in running the government and other costsOther and not broken out; finance, tax collection and budgeting and 1 more
  • Other and not broken out$1.1 million
  • Finance, tax collection and budgeting$582 thousand
  • Central staff services (personnel, purchasing, technology)$91 thousand
Housing and community development
0.9%$578 thousand
Sources and moreWhere these numbers come from and what they cover

City of Buffalo. 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 Buffalo 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.