City government · Tarrant County, TX

Fort Worth's money: where it comes from and where it goes

In the latest recorded fiscal year (ended September 30, 2023), Fort Worth took in $2.31 billion and spent $2.49 billion.

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

See every government that serves your ZIP

Where it comes from

City taxes49%Fees for services (water, sewer)34%Fines and other10%Federal tax money3.8%State tax money2.8%

What stands out

15%

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

City taxes49%

Property tax
29%$668 million
Sales tax
15%$345 million
Other taxes
5.5%$128 million
What's in other taxesOther selective sales taxes; public utility taxes and 3 more
  • Other selective sales taxes$53.7 million
  • Public utility taxes$51.7 million
  • Other licenses$21.3 million
  • Amusement taxes$552 thousand
  • Alcoholic beverage licenses$406 thousand

Amounts are by Census tax category.

Fees for services34%

Fees for services
34%$778 million
What's in fees for servicesWater; sewer and 5 more
  • Water$341 million
  • Sewer$283 million
  • Garbage collection$79.9 million
  • Other service charges$38.7 million
  • Airport$15.4 million
  • Parks and recreation$13.0 million
  • Parking$7.6 million

Amounts are by Census type of charge.

Federal tax money3.8%

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

From the federal government
3.8%$88.7 million

State tax money2.8%

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

From the state
2.8%$64.4 million

Fines and other10%

Interest, rents and other
10%$233 million
Fines
0.3%$6.0 million

Where it goes

Water, sewer, trash and utilities37%Police, fire, courts and jails28%Running the government and other costs9.1%Roads, transit and parking7.8%Housing and community development6.2%All other spending12%

What stands out

37%

of Fort Worth's spending goes to water, sewer, trash and other utilities.A typical U.S. city of 50,000+ people spends 20%.

Spending by category100%

Water, sewer, trash and utilities
37%$917 million
What's in water, sewer, trash and utilitiesWater supply; sewer systems and 1 more
  • Water supply$484 million
  • Sewer systems$363 million
  • Garbage and solid waste$69.4 million
Police, fire, courts and jails
28%$705 million
What's in police, fire, courts and jailsPolice; fire protection and 2 more
  • Police$455 million
  • Fire protection$201 million
  • Inspections and regulation$27.0 million
  • Courts and legal services$22.1 million
Running the government and other costs
9.1%$227 million
What's in running the government and other costsOther and not broken out; central staff services (personnel, purchasing, technology) and 2 more
  • Other and not broken out$139 million
  • Central staff services (personnel, purchasing, technology)$53.4 million
  • Government buildings$19.4 million
  • Finance, tax collection and budgeting$15.6 million
Roads, transit and parking
7.8%$195 million
What's in roads, transit and parkingRoads and highways; airports and 1 more
  • Roads and highways$152 million
  • Airports$37.4 million
  • Parking$4.8 million
Housing and community development
6.2%$155 million
Parks, recreation and libraries
4.8%$120 million
What's in parks, recreation and librariesParks and recreation and libraries
  • Parks and recreation$94.6 million
  • Libraries$25.9 million
Interest on debt
3.7%$91.0 million
What's in interest on debtInterest on general debt and interest on water supply debt
  • Interest on general debt$61.1 million
  • Interest on water supply debt$29.9 million
Health and hospitals
3.2%$80.0 million
What's in health and hospitalsPublic health
  • Public health$80.0 million
Sources and moreWhere these numbers come from and what they cover

City of Fort Worth. 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 City of Fort Worth 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.