County government · Catawba County, NC

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

In the latest recorded fiscal year (ended June 30, 2024), Catawba County took in $835 million and spent $824 million.

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

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Where it comes from

Fees for services (hospital bills, liquor stores)56%State tax money30%County taxes9.3%Fines and other2.8%Local tax money0.9%Federal tax money0.7%

What stands out

56%

of Catawba County's money comes from fees for services such as water, sewer and parking.A typical U.S. county of 50,000 to 250,000 people gets 11%.

County taxes9.3%

Property tax
9.1%$76.2 million
Other taxes
0.2%$1.4 million
What's in other taxesAlcoholic beverage taxes; occupation and business licenses and 1 more
  • Alcoholic beverage taxes$1.4 million
  • Occupation and business licenses$6 thousand
  • Other licenses$1 thousand

Amounts are by Census tax category.

Sales tax
<0.1%$276 thousand

Fees for services56%

Fees for services
56%$471 million
What's in fees for servicesHospital bills; liquor stores and 8 more
  • Hospital bills$433 million
  • Liquor stores$24.6 million
  • College tuition$4.3 million
  • School tuition and transportation$3.6 million
  • School lunches$2.5 million
  • Parks, land and natural resources$1.8 million
  • University housing and dining$1.1 million
  • Other school charges$175 thousand
  • Garbage collection$68 thousand
  • Other government-run businesses$2 thousand

Amounts are by Census type of charge.

Federal tax money0.7%

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

From the federal government
0.7%$5.5 million

State tax money30%

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

From the state
30%$249 million

Local tax money0.9%

Money passed on by the county or other local governments.

From other local governments
0.9%$7.9 million

Fines and other2.8%

Interest, rents and other
2.8%$23.4 million
Fines
<0.1%$298 thousand

Where it goes

Health and hospitals53%Schools and colleges43%Water, sewer, trash and utilities2.7%Interest on debt0.6%Sent to other local governments0.3%All other spending0.4%

What stands out

43%

of Catawba County's spending goes to schools and colleges.Most U.S. counties of 50,000 to 250,000 people spend nothing on this.

Spending by category100%

Health and hospitals
53%$436 million
What's in health and hospitalsHospitals and public health
  • Hospitals$436 million
  • Public health$129 thousand
Schools and colleges
43%$355 million
What's in schools and collegesElementary and secondary schools; colleges and universities and 2 more
  • Elementary and secondary schools$306 million
  • Colleges and universities$46.8 million
  • College housing, dining and bookstores$2.0 million
  • Scholarships and other education subsidies$613 thousand
Water, sewer, trash and utilities
2.7%$21.9 million
What's in water, sewer, trash and utilitiesLiquor stores and garbage and solid waste
  • Liquor stores$21.9 million
  • Garbage and solid waste$65 thousand
Interest on debt
0.6%$5.2 million
Sent to other local governments
0.3%$2.7 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$2.7 million
Running the government and other costs
0.3%$2.2 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$1.3 million
  • Finance, tax collection and budgeting$797 thousand
  • Central staff services (personnel, purchasing, technology)$106 thousand
Police, fire, courts and jails
<0.1%$571 thousand
What's in police, fire, courts and jailsPolice; fire protection and 1 more
  • Police$379 thousand
  • Fire protection$181 thousand
  • Courts and legal services$11 thousand
Roads, transit and parking
<0.1%$204 thousand
What's in roads, transit and parkingRoads and highways
  • Roads and highways$204 thousand
Sources and moreWhere these numbers come from and what they cover

Catawba 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 Catawba 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.