City government · Marion County, OR

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

In the latest recorded fiscal year (ended June 30, 2024), Salem took in $503 million and spent $498 million.

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

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Where it comes from

City taxes34%Fees for services (sewer, water)31%Fines and other13%State tax money13%Federal tax money6.7%County and local tax money3.0%

What stands out

13%

of Salem's money comes from state tax money.A typical U.S. city of 50,000+ people gets 6.4%.

City taxes34%

Property tax
25%$123 million
Other taxes
9.1%$45.7 million
What's in other taxesPublic utility taxes; other licenses and 1 more
  • Public utility taxes$23.6 million
  • Other licenses$15.9 million
  • Other selective sales taxes$6.2 million

Amounts are by Census tax category.

Fees for services31%

Fees for services
31%$155 million
What's in fees for servicesSewer; water and 6 more
  • Sewer$71.0 million
  • Water$45.4 million
  • Other service charges$25.8 million
  • Housing$4.8 million
  • Parks and recreation$4.7 million
  • Airport$1.4 million
  • Parking$1.3 million
  • Road charges$262 thousand

Amounts are by Census type of charge.

Federal tax money6.7%

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

From the federal government
6.7%$33.9 million

State tax money13%

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

From the state
13%$63.4 million

County and local tax money3.0%

Money passed on by the county or other local governments.

From the county and other local governments
3.0%$14.9 million

Fines and other13%

Interest, rents and other
13%$63.2 million
Fines
0.7%$3.6 million

Where it goes

Water, sewer, trash and utilities25%Police, fire, courts and jails24%Running the government and other costs22%Housing and community development11%Interest on debt7.1%All other spending11%

What stands out

11%

of Salem'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
25%$124 million
What's in water, sewer, trash and utilitiesSewer systems and water supply
  • Sewer systems$76.7 million
  • Water supply$47.0 million
Police, fire, courts and jails
24%$119 million
What's in police, fire, courts and jailsPolice; fire protection and 2 more
  • Police$58.2 million
  • Fire protection$49.5 million
  • Inspections and regulation$6.2 million
  • Courts and legal services$5.1 million
Running the government and other costs
22%$107 million
What's in running the government and other costsOther and not broken out; government buildings and 2 more
  • Other and not broken out$86.8 million
  • Government buildings$13.0 million
  • Central staff services (personnel, purchasing, technology)$4.0 million
  • Finance, tax collection and budgeting$3.7 million
Housing and community development
11%$55.5 million
Interest on debt
7.1%$35.5 million
What's in interest on debtInterest on general debt and interest on water supply debt
  • Interest on general debt$31.6 million
  • Interest on water supply debt$4.0 million
Parks, recreation and libraries
4.6%$22.9 million
What's in parks, recreation and librariesParks and recreation and libraries
  • Parks and recreation$17.9 million
  • Libraries$5.0 million
Roads, transit and parking
4.4%$22.0 million
What's in roads, transit and parkingRoads and highways; airports and 1 more
  • Roads and highways$18.3 million
  • Airports$2.2 million
  • Parking$1.5 million
Health and hospitals
2.4%$11.8 million
What's in health and hospitalsPublic health and hospitals
  • Public health$5.9 million
  • Hospitals$5.9 million
Sources and moreWhere these numbers come from and what they cover

City of Salem. 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 Salem 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.