County government · Buncombe County, NC

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

In the latest recorded fiscal year (ended June 30, 2024), Buncombe County took in $1.05 billion and spent $1.10 billion.

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

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Where it comes from

County taxes47%State tax money29%Fees for services (airport, hospital bills)8.0%Federal tax money6.0%Fines and other5.8%Local tax money4.3%

What stands out

13%

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

County taxes47%

Property tax
29%$303 million
Sales tax
13%$133 million
Other taxes
5.1%$53.2 million
What's in other taxesOther selective sales taxes; real estate and stock transfer taxes and 4 more
  • Other selective sales taxes$36.0 million
  • Real estate and stock transfer taxes$7.1 million
  • Occupation and business licenses$6.0 million
  • Other licenses$2.5 million
  • Motor vehicle licenses$1.5 million
  • Other taxes not classified elsewhere$155 thousand

Amounts are by Census tax category.

Fees for services8.0%

Fees for services
8.0%$83.9 million
What's in fees for servicesAirport; hospital bills and 11 more
  • Airport$36.5 million
  • Hospital bills$11.3 million
  • Garbage collection$11.3 million
  • Other government-run businesses$6.9 million
  • College tuition$6.2 million
  • Other service charges$5.2 million
  • School lunches$1.8 million
  • Parking$1.3 million
  • University housing and dining$1.3 million
  • School tuition and transportation$1.1 million
  • Parks, land and natural resources$438 thousand
  • Other school charges$347 thousand
  • Parks and recreation$242 thousand

Amounts are by Census type of charge.

Federal tax money6.0%

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

From the federal government
6.0%$62.9 million

State tax money29%

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

From the state
29%$304 million

Local tax money4.3%

Money passed on by the county or other local governments.

From other local governments
4.3%$44.5 million

Fines and other5.8%

Interest, rents and other
5.6%$58.2 million
Fines
0.3%$2.7 million

Where it goes

Schools and colleges44%Police, fire, courts and jails14%Roads, transit and parking12%Running the government and other costs11%Social services6.9%All other spending13%

What stands out

44%

of Buncombe County's spending goes to schools and colleges.Most U.S. counties of 250,000+ people spend nothing on this.

Spending by category100%

Schools and colleges
44%$486 million
What's in schools and collegesElementary and secondary schools; colleges and universities and 2 more
  • Elementary and secondary schools$418 million
  • Colleges and universities$64.4 million
  • College housing, dining and bookstores$2.4 million
  • Scholarships and other education subsidies$1.9 million
Police, fire, courts and jails
14%$151 million
What's in police, fire, courts and jailsPolice; fire protection and 3 more
  • Police$73.7 million
  • Fire protection$46.7 million
  • Prisons and jails$25.8 million
  • Inspections and regulation$3.0 million
  • Courts and legal services$1.8 million
Roads, transit and parking
12%$128 million
What's in roads, transit and parkingAirports; public transit and 1 more
  • Airports$123 million
  • Public transit$4.6 million
  • Parking$815 thousand
Running the government and other costs
11%$117 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$67.8 million
  • Central staff services (personnel, purchasing, technology)$24.0 million
  • Government buildings$15.2 million
  • Finance, tax collection and budgeting$10.4 million
Social services
6.9%$76.3 million
What's in social servicesOther public welfare
  • Other public welfare$76.3 million
Housing and community development
4.2%$45.8 million
Interest on debt
3.6%$40.0 million
Health and hospitals
2.5%$27.7 million
What's in health and hospitalsPublic health
  • Public health$27.7 million
Water, sewer, trash and utilities
1.1%$12.6 million
What's in water, sewer, trash and utilitiesGarbage and solid waste
  • Garbage and solid waste$12.6 million
Parks, recreation and libraries
1.1%$12.1 million
What's in parks, recreation and librariesLibraries and parks and recreation
  • Libraries$8.1 million
  • Parks and recreation$4.0 million
Sent to other local governments
0.3%$3.2 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$3.2 million
Environment and natural resources
0.2%$1.8 million
What's in environment and natural resourcesNatural resources, farming and conservation
  • Natural resources, farming and conservation$1.8 million
Sources and moreWhere these numbers come from and what they cover

Buncombe County. 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 Buncombe 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.