City government · Yellowstone County, MT

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

In the latest recorded fiscal year (ended June 30, 2024), Billings took in $290 million and spent $269 million.

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

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Where it comes from

Fees for services (water, sewer)36%City taxes27%Fines and other19%Federal tax money9.3%State tax money8.3%

What stands out

19%

of Billings' money comes from interest, rents and other revenue.A typical U.S. city of 50,000+ people gets 6.9%.

City taxes27%

Property tax
24%$69.2 million
Other taxes
3.0%$8.6 million
What's in other taxesOther licenses; motor vehicle licenses and 2 more
  • Other licenses$4.1 million
  • Motor vehicle licenses$2.7 million
  • Other taxes not classified elsewhere$1.1 million
  • Occupation and business licenses$719 thousand

Amounts are by Census tax category.

Fees for services36%

Fees for services
36%$105 million
What's in fees for servicesWater; sewer and 7 more
  • Water$27.1 million
  • Sewer$22.3 million
  • Garbage collection$21.1 million
  • Airport$12.5 million
  • Road charges$9.7 million
  • Other service charges$8.7 million
  • Parking$2.3 million
  • Transit fares$818 thousand
  • Parks and recreation$746 thousand

Amounts are by Census type of charge.

Federal tax money9.3%

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

From the federal government
9.3%$27.0 million

State tax money8.3%

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

From the state
8.3%$24.0 million

Fines and other19%

Interest, rents and other
19%$53.9 million
Fines
0.6%$1.7 million

Where it goes

Water, sewer, trash and utilities36%Roads, transit and parking25%Police, fire, courts and jails24%Parks, recreation and libraries7.9%Interest on debt3.4%All other spending4.5%

What stands out

25%

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

Spending by category100%

Water, sewer, trash and utilities
36%$97.3 million
What's in water, sewer, trash and utilitiesWater supply; sewer systems and 1 more
  • Water supply$40.1 million
  • Sewer systems$30.3 million
  • Garbage and solid waste$26.8 million
Roads, transit and parking
25%$66.0 million
What's in roads, transit and parkingRoads and highways; airports and 2 more
  • Roads and highways$29.5 million
  • Airports$24.1 million
  • Public transit$10.8 million
  • Parking$1.7 million
Police, fire, courts and jails
24%$63.3 million
What's in police, fire, courts and jailsPolice; fire protection and 2 more
  • Police$30.9 million
  • Fire protection$27.7 million
  • Inspections and regulation$2.5 million
  • Courts and legal services$2.2 million
Parks, recreation and libraries
7.9%$21.1 million
What's in parks, recreation and librariesParks and recreation and libraries
  • Parks and recreation$16.5 million
  • Libraries$4.6 million
Interest on debt
3.4%$9.1 million
What's in interest on debtInterest on general debt and interest on water supply debt
  • Interest on general debt$5.7 million
  • Interest on water supply debt$3.4 million
Running the government and other costs
3.2%$8.7 million
What's in running the government and other costsCentral staff services (personnel, purchasing, technology); finance, tax collection and budgeting and 2 more
  • Central staff services (personnel, purchasing, technology)$5.5 million
  • Finance, tax collection and budgeting$2.0 million
  • Other and not broken out$1.0 million
  • Other government-run businesses$198 thousand
Housing and community development
0.8%$2.2 million
Health and hospitals
0.5%$1.2 million
What's in health and hospitalsPublic health
  • Public health$1.2 million
Sources and moreWhere these numbers come from and what they cover

City of Billings. 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 City of Billings 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.