City government · Stearns County, MN

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

In the latest recorded fiscal year (ended December 31, 2023), St. Cloud took in $149 million and spent $146 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)32%State tax money16%Fines and other8.5%Federal tax money4.6%County and local tax money1.2%

What stands out

16%

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

City taxes38%

Property tax
24%$36.4 million
Other taxes
13%$19.9 million
What's in other taxesOther selective sales taxes; occupation and business licenses and 3 more
  • Other selective sales taxes$17.0 million
  • Occupation and business licenses$2.5 million
  • Alcoholic beverage licenses$212 thousand
  • Other licenses$98 thousand
  • Amusement licenses$4 thousand

Amounts are by Census tax category.

Fees for services32%

Fees for services
32%$47.7 million
What's in fees for servicesWater; sewer and 5 more
  • Water$16.0 million
  • Sewer$13.2 million
  • Other service charges$7.7 million
  • Garbage collection$4.7 million
  • Parks and recreation$3.5 million
  • Electric power$1.4 million
  • Parking$1.3 million

Amounts are by Census type of charge.

Federal tax money4.6%

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

From the federal government
4.6%$6.9 million

State tax money16%

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

From the state
16%$23.7 million

County and local tax money1.2%

Money passed on by the county or other local governments.

From the county and other local governments
1.2%$1.8 million

Fines and other8.5%

Interest, rents and other
8.0%$11.9 million
Fines
0.5%$714 thousand

Where it goes

Police, fire, courts and jails27%Roads, transit and parking25%Water, sewer, trash and utilities23%Running the government and other costs11%Parks, recreation and libraries8.7%All other spending5.8%

What stands out

25%

of St. Cloud's spending goes to roads, transit and parking.A typical U.S. city of 50,000+ people spends 10%.

Spending by category100%

Police, fire, courts and jails
27%$39.8 million
What's in police, fire, courts and jailsPolice; fire protection and 2 more
  • Police$23.8 million
  • Fire protection$13.1 million
  • Courts and legal services$1.6 million
  • Inspections and regulation$1.3 million
Roads, transit and parking
25%$36.0 million
What's in roads, transit and parkingRoads and highways; parking and 1 more
  • Roads and highways$34.2 million
  • Parking$1.2 million
  • Airports$620 thousand
Water, sewer, trash and utilities
23%$33.7 million
What's in water, sewer, trash and utilitiesWater supply; sewer systems and 2 more
  • Water supply$17.4 million
  • Sewer systems$10.4 million
  • Garbage and solid waste$4.8 million
  • Electric power$1.1 million
Running the government and other costs
11%$15.4 million
What's in running the government and other costsGovernment buildings; other and not broken out and 2 more
  • Government buildings$4.2 million
  • Other and not broken out$4.1 million
  • Finance, tax collection and budgeting$3.5 million
  • Central staff services (personnel, purchasing, technology)$3.5 million
Parks, recreation and libraries
8.7%$12.7 million
What's in parks, recreation and librariesParks and recreation and libraries
  • Parks and recreation$12.1 million
  • Libraries$592 thousand
Interest on debt
2.9%$4.2 million
What's in interest on debtInterest on general debt; interest on water supply debt and 1 more
  • Interest on general debt$3.6 million
  • Interest on water supply debt$519 thousand
  • Interest on electric power debt$49 thousand
Housing and community development
1.7%$2.5 million
Health and hospitals
1.2%$1.8 million
What's in health and hospitalsPublic health
  • Public health$1.8 million
Sent to other local governments
<0.1%$97 thousand
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$97 thousand
Sources and moreWhere these numbers come from and what they cover

City of St. Cloud. 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 St. Cloud 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.