County government · Chester County, PA

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

In the latest recorded fiscal year (ended December 31, 2023), Chester County took in $548 million and spent $515 million.

Latest recorded year: ended December 31, 2023Comes fromGoes to

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Where it comes from

State tax money36%County taxes35%Federal tax money13%Fees for services11%Fines and other4.7%

What stands out

36%

of Chester County's money comes from state tax money.A typical U.S. county of 250,000+ people gets 19%.

County taxes35%

Property tax
34%$184 million
Other taxes
1.0%$5.7 million
What's in other taxesOther selective sales taxes and other taxes not classified elsewhere
  • Other selective sales taxes$5.7 million
  • Other taxes not classified elsewhere$1 thousand

Amounts are by Census tax category.

Fees for services11%

Fees for services
11%$60.8 million
What's in fees for servicesOther service charges
  • Other service charges$60.8 million

Amounts are by Census type of charge.

Federal tax money13%

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

From the federal government
13%$72.6 million

State tax money36%

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

From the state
36%$198 million

Local tax money<0.1%

Money passed on by the county or other local governments.

From other local governments
<0.1%$236 thousand

Fines and other4.7%

Interest, rents and other
4.7%$25.8 million

Where it goes

Health and hospitals35%Police, fire, courts and jails24%Social services14%Running the government and other costs10%Housing and community development5.2%All other spending11%

What stands out

35%

of Chester County's spending goes to health services and hospitals.A typical U.S. county of 250,000+ people spends 7.9%.

Spending by category100%

Health and hospitals
35%$183 million
What's in health and hospitalsPublic health
  • Public health$183 million
Police, fire, courts and jails
24%$123 million
What's in police, fire, courts and jailsPrisons and jails; courts and legal services and 2 more
  • Prisons and jails$53.1 million
  • Courts and legal services$48.4 million
  • Probation, parole and other corrections$15.1 million
  • Police$6.7 million
Social services
14%$72.0 million
What's in social servicesOther public welfare and welfare institutions
  • Other public welfare$46.8 million
  • Welfare institutions$25.3 million
Running the government and other costs
10%$51.4 million
What's in running the government and other costsGovernment buildings; finance, tax collection and budgeting and 2 more
  • Government buildings$15.6 million
  • Finance, tax collection and budgeting$13.6 million
  • Other and not broken out$13.2 million
  • Central staff services (personnel, purchasing, technology)$9.1 million
Housing and community development
5.2%$26.9 million
Interest on debt
4.3%$22.3 million
Environment and natural resources
2.8%$14.5 million
What's in environment and natural resourcesNatural resources, farming and conservation
  • Natural resources, farming and conservation$14.5 million
Parks, recreation and libraries
2.5%$13.1 million
What's in parks, recreation and librariesParks and recreation and libraries
  • Parks and recreation$12.2 million
  • Libraries$899 thousand
Roads, transit and parking
1.7%$8.8 million
What's in roads, transit and parkingRoads and highways
  • Roads and highways$8.8 million
Sources and moreWhere these numbers come from and what they cover

Chester County. U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, individual unit file, fiscal year ended December 31, 2023.

What this covers. The money of Chester 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.