County government · Lee County, NC

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

In the latest recorded fiscal year (ended June 30, 2024), Lee County took in $257 million and spent $291 million.

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

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Where it comes from

State tax money51%County taxes36%Fees for services (college tuition, garbage collection)3.7%Local tax money3.3%Fines and other3.1%Federal tax money2.6%

What stands out

51%

of Lee County's money comes from state tax money.A typical U.S. county of 50,000 to 250,000 people gets 22%.

County taxes36%

Property tax
26%$67.3 million
Sales tax
9.2%$23.8 million
Other taxes
0.6%$1.5 million
What's in other taxesReal estate and stock transfer taxes; other selective sales taxes and 3 more
  • Real estate and stock transfer taxes$604 thousand
  • Other selective sales taxes$356 thousand
  • Occupation and business licenses$219 thousand
  • Other licenses$203 thousand
  • Motor vehicle licenses$149 thousand

Amounts are by Census tax category.

Fees for services3.7%

Fees for services
3.7%$9.5 million
What's in fees for servicesCollege tuition; garbage collection and 8 more
  • College tuition$3.8 million
  • Garbage collection$1.8 million
  • Other government-run businesses$1.3 million
  • Other service charges$745 thousand
  • Transit fares$494 thousand
  • Parks and recreation$454 thousand
  • School lunches$436 thousand
  • University housing and dining$336 thousand
  • School tuition and transportation$155 thousand
  • Other school charges$13 thousand

Amounts are by Census type of charge.

Federal tax money2.6%

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

From the federal government
2.6%$6.6 million

State tax money51%

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

From the state
51%$132 million

Local tax money3.3%

Money passed on by the county or other local governments.

From other local governments
3.3%$8.6 million

Fines and other3.1%

Interest, rents and other
3.0%$7.8 million
Fines
<0.1%$211 thousand

Where it goes

Schools and colleges62%Sent to other local governments10%Running the government and other costs10%Police, fire, courts and jails7.7%Social services4.5%All other spending5.7%

What stands out

62%

of Lee 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%

Schools and colleges
62%$180 million
What's in schools and collegesElementary and secondary schools; colleges and universities and 2 more
  • Elementary and secondary schools$120 million
  • Colleges and universities$57.7 million
  • Scholarships and other education subsidies$1.9 million
  • College housing, dining and bookstores$44 thousand
Sent to other local governments
10%$29.8 million
What's in sent to other local governmentsSent to local governments: other and not broken out and sent to the state government
  • Sent to local governments: other and not broken out$29.7 million
  • Sent to the state government$113 thousand
Running the government and other costs
10%$29.7 million
What's in running the government and other costsGovernment buildings; other and not broken out and 2 more
  • Government buildings$20.5 million
  • Other and not broken out$4.8 million
  • Finance, tax collection and budgeting$3.2 million
  • Central staff services (personnel, purchasing, technology)$1.2 million
Police, fire, courts and jails
7.7%$22.4 million
What's in police, fire, courts and jailsPolice; fire protection and 2 more
  • Police$13.8 million
  • Fire protection$4.3 million
  • Prisons and jails$3.4 million
  • Courts and legal services$929 thousand
Social services
4.5%$13.0 million
What's in social servicesOther public welfare
  • Other public welfare$13.0 million
Health and hospitals
1.6%$4.8 million
What's in health and hospitalsPublic health
  • Public health$4.8 million
Interest on debt
1.5%$4.5 million
Parks, recreation and libraries
1.2%$3.6 million
What's in parks, recreation and librariesParks and recreation and libraries
  • Parks and recreation$2.4 million
  • Libraries$1.2 million
Water, sewer, trash and utilities
0.7%$1.9 million
What's in water, sewer, trash and utilitiesGarbage and solid waste
  • Garbage and solid waste$1.9 million
Housing and community development
0.6%$1.7 million
Roads, transit and parking
<0.1%$150 thousand
What's in roads, transit and parkingAirports
  • Airports$150 thousand
Sources and moreWhere these numbers come from and what they cover

Lee 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 Lee 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.