County government · Erie County, PA

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

In the latest recorded fiscal year (ended December 31, 2023), Erie County took in $454 million and spent $413 million.

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

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Where it comes from

State tax money63%County taxes21%Fees for services15%Fines and other1.2%

What stands out

63%

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

County taxes21%

Property tax
19%$87.5 million
Other taxes
1.5%$6.7 million
What's in other taxesOther selective sales taxes
  • Other selective sales taxes$6.7 million

Amounts are by Census tax category.

Fees for services15%

Fees for services
15%$69.3 million
What's in fees for servicesOther service charges
  • Other service charges$69.3 million

Amounts are by Census type of charge.

State tax money63%

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

From the state
63%$285 million

Fines and other1.2%

Interest, rents and other
1.2%$5.6 million

Where it goes

Social services59%Police, fire, courts and jails17%Health and hospitals14%Running the government and other costs5.9%Parks, recreation and libraries2.0%All other spending1.6%

What stands out

59%

of Erie County's spending goes to social services.A typical U.S. county of 250,000+ people spends 4.3%.

Spending by category100%

Social services
59%$244 million
What's in social servicesOther public welfare and welfare institutions
  • Other public welfare$216 million
  • Welfare institutions$28.5 million
Police, fire, courts and jails
17%$70.5 million
What's in police, fire, courts and jailsPrisons and jails; courts and legal services and 2 more
  • Prisons and jails$30.9 million
  • Courts and legal services$29.0 million
  • Probation, parole and other corrections$9.9 million
  • Inspections and regulation$714 thousand
Health and hospitals
14%$58.9 million
What's in health and hospitalsPublic health
  • Public health$58.9 million
Running the government and other costs
5.9%$24.5 million
What's in running the government and other costsGovernment buildings; finance, tax collection and budgeting and 1 more
  • Government buildings$14.2 million
  • Finance, tax collection and budgeting$5.8 million
  • Central staff services (personnel, purchasing, technology)$4.5 million
Parks, recreation and libraries
2.0%$8.1 million
What's in parks, recreation and librariesLibraries
  • Libraries$8.1 million
Housing and community development
1.3%$5.5 million
Interest on debt
0.1%$616 thousand
Roads, transit and parking
0.1%$554 thousand
What's in roads, transit and parkingRoads and highways
  • Roads and highways$554 thousand
Sources and moreWhere these numbers come from and what they cover

Erie 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 Erie 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.