City government · Minnehaha County, SD

Sioux Falls's money: where it comes from and where it goes

In the latest recorded fiscal year (ended December 31, 2023), Sioux Falls took in $528 million and spent $568 million.

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

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Where it comes from

City taxes55%Fees for services (water, sewer)23%Fines and other7.7%State tax money7.0%Federal tax money6.9%County and local tax money0.3%

What stands out

35%

of Sioux Falls' money comes from sales tax.A typical U.S. city of 50,000+ people gets 7.8%.

City taxes55%

Sales tax
35%$183 million
Property tax
16%$85.3 million
Other taxes
4.5%$23.8 million
What's in other taxesOther selective sales taxes; other licenses and 2 more
  • Other selective sales taxes$11.3 million
  • Other licenses$7.8 million
  • Alcoholic beverage licenses$3.7 million
  • Motor vehicle licenses$1.0 million

Amounts are by Census tax category.

Fees for services23%

Fees for services
23%$120 million
What's in fees for servicesWater; sewer and 7 more
  • Water$44.9 million
  • Sewer$40.4 million
  • Garbage collection$13.0 million
  • Electric power$10.5 million
  • Hospital bills$3.8 million
  • Parking$2.5 million
  • Other service charges$2.5 million
  • Parks and recreation$2.2 million
  • Housing$18 thousand

Amounts are by Census type of charge.

Federal tax money6.9%

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

From the federal government
6.9%$36.3 million

State tax money7.0%

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

From the state
7.0%$37.1 million

County and local tax money0.3%

Money passed on by the county or other local governments.

From the county and other local governments
0.3%$1.6 million

Fines and other7.7%

Interest, rents and other
7.5%$39.5 million
Fines
0.3%$1.4 million

Where it goes

Water, sewer, trash and utilities31%Roads, transit and parking22%Police, fire, courts and jails20%Parks, recreation and libraries11%Running the government and other costs7.9%All other spending7.8%

What stands out

22%

of Sioux Falls' spending goes to roads, transit and parking.A typical U.S. city of 50,000+ people spends 10%.

Spending by category100%

Water, sewer, trash and utilities
31%$178 million
What's in water, sewer, trash and utilitiesSewer systems; water supply and 2 more
  • Sewer systems$121 million
  • Water supply$33.2 million
  • Garbage and solid waste$13.1 million
  • Electric power$10.0 million
Roads, transit and parking
22%$126 million
What's in roads, transit and parkingRoads and highways; public transit and 1 more
  • Roads and highways$114 million
  • Public transit$10.9 million
  • Parking$1.4 million
Police, fire, courts and jails
20%$112 million
What's in police, fire, courts and jailsFire protection; police and 1 more
  • Fire protection$57.9 million
  • Police$51.7 million
  • Courts and legal services$2.5 million
Parks, recreation and libraries
11%$63.5 million
What's in parks, recreation and librariesParks and recreation and libraries
  • Parks and recreation$51.4 million
  • Libraries$12.1 million
Running the government and other costs
7.9%$44.6 million
What's in running the government and other costsOther and not broken out; government buildings and 2 more
  • Other and not broken out$31.3 million
  • Government buildings$5.2 million
  • Central staff services (personnel, purchasing, technology)$4.4 million
  • Finance, tax collection and budgeting$3.7 million
Health and hospitals
3.4%$19.4 million
What's in health and hospitalsPublic health
  • Public health$19.4 million
Housing and community development
2.8%$16.1 million
Interest on debt
1.5%$8.6 million
What's in interest on debtInterest on general debt and interest on water supply debt
  • Interest on general debt$7.7 million
  • Interest on water supply debt$908 thousand
Sent to other local governments
<0.1%$11 thousand
What's in sent to other local governmentsSent to local governments: other and not broken out
  • Sent to local governments: other and not broken out$11 thousand
Sources and moreWhere these numbers come from and what they cover

City of Sioux Falls. 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 City of Sioux Falls 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.