City government · Multnomah County, OR

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

In the latest recorded fiscal year (ended June 30, 2024), Portland took in $2.81 billion and spent $2.59 billion.

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

See every government that serves your ZIP

Where it comes from

City taxes48%Fees for services (sewer, water)32%Fines and other6.7%Federal tax money6.2%County and local tax money3.7%State tax money3.0%

What stands out

24%

of Portland's money comes from taxes other than property, sales and income taxes.A typical U.S. city of 50,000+ people gets 7.2%.

City taxes48%

Property tax
25%$697 million
Other taxes
24%$661 million
What's in other taxesOther selective sales taxes; occupation and business licenses and 3 more
  • Other selective sales taxes$269 million
  • Occupation and business licenses$198 million
  • Public utility taxes$107 million
  • Other licenses$66.3 million
  • Motor fuel taxes$21.2 million

Amounts are by Census tax category.

Fees for services32%

Fees for services
32%$904 million
What's in fees for servicesSewer; water and 6 more
  • Sewer$433 million
  • Water$264 million
  • Other service charges$84.1 million
  • Parking$55.4 million
  • Parks and recreation$47.0 million
  • Garbage collection$10.6 million
  • Housing$6.1 million
  • Electric power$3.7 million

Amounts are by Census type of charge.

Federal tax money6.2%

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

From the federal government
6.2%$173 million

State tax money3.0%

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

From the state
3.0%$83.8 million

County and local tax money3.7%

Money passed on by the county or other local governments.

From the county and other local governments
3.7%$105 million

Fines and other6.7%

Interest, rents and other
6.7%$188 million
Fines
<0.1%$290 thousand

Where it goes

Water, sewer, trash and utilities31%Police, fire, courts and jails20%Running the government and other costs15%Roads, transit and parking11%Parks, recreation and libraries9.7%All other spending13%

What stands out

6.7%

of Portland's spending goes to housing and community development.A typical U.S. city of 50,000+ people spends 1.4%.

Spending by category100%

Water, sewer, trash and utilities
31%$804 million
What's in water, sewer, trash and utilitiesSewer systems; water supply and 2 more
  • Sewer systems$512 million
  • Water supply$280 million
  • Garbage and solid waste$8.6 million
  • Electric power$3.1 million
Police, fire, courts and jails
20%$518 million
What's in police, fire, courts and jailsPolice; fire protection and 2 more
  • Police$277 million
  • Fire protection$181 million
  • Inspections and regulation$40.8 million
  • Courts and legal services$20.4 million
Running the government and other costs
15%$394 million
What's in running the government and other costsOther and not broken out; finance, tax collection and budgeting and 2 more
  • Other and not broken out$181 million
  • Finance, tax collection and budgeting$130 million
  • Central staff services (personnel, purchasing, technology)$72.2 million
  • Government buildings$10.6 million
Roads, transit and parking
11%$286 million
What's in roads, transit and parkingRoads and highways and parking
  • Roads and highways$271 million
  • Parking$15.8 million
Parks, recreation and libraries
9.7%$251 million
What's in parks, recreation and librariesParks and recreation
  • Parks and recreation$251 million
Housing and community development
6.7%$173 million
Interest on debt
6.0%$155 million
What's in interest on debtInterest on general debt; interest on water supply debt and 1 more
  • Interest on general debt$123 million
  • Interest on water supply debt$31.6 million
  • Interest on electric power debt$30 thousand
Health and hospitals
0.2%$5.9 million
What's in health and hospitalsPublic health
  • Public health$5.9 million
Sources and moreWhere these numbers come from and what they cover

City of Portland. 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 Portland 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.