County government · Hays County, TX

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

In the latest recorded fiscal year (ended September 30, 2023), Hays County took in $242 million and spent $283 million.

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

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Where it comes from

County taxes75%Federal tax money7.2%Fines and other6.6%State tax money5.4%Fees for services5.4%

What stands out

13%

of Hays County's money comes from sales tax.A typical U.S. county of 250,000+ people gets 2.7%.

County taxes75%

Property tax
53%$127 million
Sales tax
13%$31.7 million
Other taxes
9.8%$23.6 million
What's in other taxesOther selective sales taxes and motor vehicle licenses
  • Other selective sales taxes$20.8 million
  • Motor vehicle licenses$2.8 million

Amounts are by Census tax category.

Fees for services5.4%

Fees for services
5.4%$13.1 million
What's in fees for servicesOther service charges
  • Other service charges$13.1 million

Amounts are by Census type of charge.

Federal tax money7.2%

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

From the federal government
7.2%$17.5 million

State tax money5.4%

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

From the state
5.4%$13.1 million

Fines and other6.6%

Interest, rents and other
5.8%$14.1 million
Fines
0.8%$1.9 million

Where it goes

Police, fire, courts and jails37%Roads, transit and parking21%Running the government and other costs19%Interest on debt7.8%Sent to other local governments7.4%All other spending8.6%

What stands out

21%

of Hays County's spending goes to roads, transit and parking.A typical U.S. county of 250,000+ people spends 6.3%.

Spending by category100%

Police, fire, courts and jails
37%$103 million
What's in police, fire, courts and jailsPolice; prisons and jails and 3 more
  • Police$40.0 million
  • Prisons and jails$34.5 million
  • Courts and legal services$26.4 million
  • Probation, parole and other corrections$2.4 million
  • Fire protection$104 thousand
Roads, transit and parking
21%$58.7 million
What's in roads, transit and parkingRoads and highways
  • Roads and highways$58.7 million
Running the government and other costs
19%$53.7 million
What's in running the government and other costsOther and not broken out; finance, tax collection and budgeting and 2 more
  • Other and not broken out$39.2 million
  • Finance, tax collection and budgeting$6.7 million
  • Central staff services (personnel, purchasing, technology)$4.1 million
  • Government buildings$3.7 million
Interest on debt
7.8%$22.0 million
Sent to other local governments
7.4%$20.9 million
What's in sent to other local governmentsSent to the state government and sent to local governments: other and not broken out
  • Sent to the state government$20.5 million
  • Sent to local governments: other and not broken out$335 thousand
Parks, recreation and libraries
6.2%$17.5 million
What's in parks, recreation and librariesParks and recreation
  • Parks and recreation$17.5 million
Health and hospitals
2.0%$5.7 million
What's in health and hospitalsPublic health
  • Public health$5.7 million
Water, sewer, trash and utilities
0.3%$720 thousand
What's in water, sewer, trash and utilitiesGarbage and solid waste
  • Garbage and solid waste$720 thousand
Social services
0.1%$324 thousand
What's in social servicesOther public welfare
  • Other public welfare$324 thousand
Environment and natural resources
<0.1%$162 thousand
What's in environment and natural resourcesNatural resources, farming and conservation
  • Natural resources, farming and conservation$162 thousand
Sources and moreWhere these numbers come from and what they cover

Hays 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 Hays 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.