County government · Washington County, MN

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

In the latest recorded fiscal year (ended December 31, 2023), Washington County took in $319 million and spent $266 million.

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

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Where it comes from

County taxes54%State tax money29%Fees for services (garbage collection, parks and recreation)6.8%Fines and other5.6%Federal tax money2.7%Local tax money1.9%

What stands out

12%

of Washington County's money comes from sales tax.A typical U.S. county of 250,000+ people gets 2.7%.

County taxes54%

Property tax
40%$128 million
Sales tax
12%$39.1 million
Other taxes
1.6%$5.2 million
What's in other taxesOther licenses and real estate and stock transfer taxes
  • Other licenses$4.8 million
  • Real estate and stock transfer taxes$408 thousand

Amounts are by Census tax category.

Fees for services6.8%

Fees for services
6.8%$21.6 million
What's in fees for servicesGarbage collection; other service charges and 1 more
  • Garbage collection$11.0 million
  • Other service charges$9.5 million
  • Parks and recreation$1.0 million

Amounts are by Census type of charge.

Federal tax money2.7%

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

From the federal government
2.7%$8.6 million

State tax money29%

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

From the state
29%$91.6 million

Local tax money1.9%

Money passed on by the county or other local governments.

From other local governments
1.9%$6.2 million

Fines and other5.6%

Interest, rents and other
5.5%$17.6 million
Fines
<0.1%$274 thousand

Where it goes

Running the government and other costs27%Police, fire, courts and jails25%Social services20%Roads, transit and parking14%Health and hospitals7.6%All other spending6.5%

What stands out

20%

of Washington County's spending goes to social services.A typical U.S. county of 250,000+ people spends 4.3%.

Spending by category100%

Running the government and other costs
27%$71.5 million
What's in running the government and other costsFinance, tax collection and budgeting; central staff services (personnel, purchasing, technology) and 2 more
  • Finance, tax collection and budgeting$35.4 million
  • Central staff services (personnel, purchasing, technology)$15.3 million
  • Other and not broken out$10.6 million
  • Government buildings$10.2 million
Police, fire, courts and jails
25%$67.4 million
What's in police, fire, courts and jailsPolice; prisons and jails and 1 more
  • Police$47.3 million
  • Prisons and jails$11.9 million
  • Courts and legal services$8.1 million
Social services
20%$51.9 million
What's in social servicesOther public welfare
  • Other public welfare$51.9 million
Roads, transit and parking
14%$37.6 million
What's in roads, transit and parkingRoads and highways and public transit
  • Roads and highways$36.3 million
  • Public transit$1.3 million
Health and hospitals
7.6%$20.1 million
What's in health and hospitalsPublic health
  • Public health$20.1 million
Parks, recreation and libraries
5.1%$13.5 million
What's in parks, recreation and librariesLibraries and parks and recreation
  • Libraries$9.0 million
  • Parks and recreation$4.6 million
Interest on debt
1.4%$3.6 million
Sources and moreWhere these numbers come from and what they cover

Washington County. 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 Washington 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.