County government · Denton County, TX

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

In the latest recorded fiscal year (ended September 30, 2023), Denton County took in $496 million and spent $401 million.

Latest recorded year: ended September 30, 2023Comes fromGoes to

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Where it comes from

County taxes66%State tax money13%Fines and other8.8%Federal tax money6.8%Fees for services4.8%Local tax money0.4%

What stands out

63%

of Denton County's money comes from property tax.A typical U.S. county of 250,000+ people gets 29%.

County taxes66%

Property tax
63%$313 million
Other taxes
3.2%$16.1 million
What's in other taxesOther licenses and motor vehicle licenses
  • Other licenses$8.1 million
  • Motor vehicle licenses$7.9 million

Amounts are by Census tax category.

Fees for services4.8%

Fees for services
4.8%$23.7 million
What's in fees for servicesOther service charges
  • Other service charges$23.7 million

Amounts are by Census type of charge.

Federal tax money6.8%

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

From the federal government
6.8%$33.7 million

State tax money13%

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

From the state
13%$63.8 million

Local tax money0.4%

Money passed on by the county or other local governments.

From other local governments
0.4%$2.0 million

Fines and other8.8%

Interest, rents and other
8.3%$41.2 million
Fines
0.5%$2.4 million

Where it goes

Police, fire, courts and jails37%Running the government and other costs28%Roads, transit and parking13%Health and hospitals13%Interest on debt5.1%All other spending4.9%

What stands out

37%

of Denton County's spending goes to police, fire, courts and jails.A typical U.S. county of 250,000+ people spends 24%.

Spending by category100%

Police, fire, courts and jails
37%$147 million
What's in police, fire, courts and jailsCourts and legal services; prisons and jails and 4 more
  • Courts and legal services$62.2 million
  • Prisons and jails$34.0 million
  • Police$28.8 million
  • Probation, parole and other corrections$17.2 million
  • Fire protection$4.1 million
  • Inspections and regulation$1.2 million
Running the government and other costs
28%$111 million
What's in running the government and other costsOther and not broken out; government buildings and 2 more
  • Other and not broken out$66.1 million
  • Government buildings$16.7 million
  • Central staff services (personnel, purchasing, technology)$15.2 million
  • Finance, tax collection and budgeting$12.7 million
Roads, transit and parking
13%$51.4 million
What's in roads, transit and parkingRoads and highways
  • Roads and highways$51.4 million
Health and hospitals
13%$50.8 million
What's in health and hospitalsPublic health
  • Public health$50.8 million
Interest on debt
5.1%$20.5 million
Housing and community development
2.9%$11.6 million
Sent to other local governments
1.2%$4.7 million
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$4.7 million
Social services
0.4%$1.5 million
What's in social servicesOther public welfare
  • Other public welfare$1.5 million
Parks, recreation and libraries
0.3%$1.3 million
What's in parks, recreation and librariesParks and recreation and libraries
  • Parks and recreation$693 thousand
  • Libraries$578 thousand
Environment and natural resources
0.1%$524 thousand
What's in environment and natural resourcesNatural resources, farming and conservation
  • Natural resources, farming and conservation$524 thousand
Sources and moreWhere these numbers come from and what they cover

Denton County. U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, individual unit file, fiscal year ended September 30, 2023.

What this covers. The money of Denton 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.