City government · Hays County, TX

San Marcos's money: where it comes from and where it goes

In the latest recorded fiscal year (ended September 30, 2023), San Marcos took in $291 million and spent $249 million.

Latest recorded year: ended September 30, 2023Estimated by the U.S. Census BureauComes fromGoes to

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Where it comes from

Fees for services (electric power, sewer)50%City taxes39%Fines and other6.4%State tax money4.9%

What stands out

50%

of San Marcos' money comes from fees for services such as water, sewer and parking.A typical U.S. city of 50,000+ people gets 30%.

City taxes39%

Sales tax
17%$49.1 million
Property tax
14%$41.6 million
Other taxes
7.5%$21.9 million
What's in other taxesPublic utility taxes; other selective sales taxes and 2 more
  • Public utility taxes$12.2 million
  • Other selective sales taxes$5.2 million
  • Other licenses$4.4 million
  • Occupation and business licenses$79 thousand

Amounts are by Census tax category.

Fees for services50%

Fees for services
50%$145 million
What's in fees for servicesElectric power; sewer and 7 more
  • Electric power$74.8 million
  • Sewer$31.8 million
  • Water$30.6 million
  • Garbage collection$5.3 million
  • Other service charges$1.0 million
  • Parks and recreation$747 thousand
  • Airport$617 thousand
  • Other government-run businesses$137 thousand
  • Transit fares$18 thousand

Amounts are by Census type of charge.

State tax money4.9%

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

From the state
4.9%$14.4 million

Fines and other6.4%

Interest, rents and other
5.7%$16.5 million
Fines
0.7%$2.1 million

Where it goes

Water, sewer, trash and utilities43%Running the government and other costs18%Police, fire, courts and jails15%Roads, transit and parking11%Interest on debt5.7%All other spending7.2%

What stands out

43%

of San Marcos' 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
43%$107 million
What's in water, sewer, trash and utilitiesElectric power; water supply and 2 more
  • Electric power$59.9 million
  • Water supply$22.1 million
  • Sewer systems$19.9 million
  • Garbage and solid waste$5.5 million
Running the government and other costs
18%$45.7 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$36.8 million
  • Central staff services (personnel, purchasing, technology)$5.3 million
  • Finance, tax collection and budgeting$3.4 million
  • Other government-run businesses$249 thousand
Police, fire, courts and jails
15%$37.4 million
What's in police, fire, courts and jailsPolice; fire protection and 2 more
  • Police$23.0 million
  • Fire protection$12.4 million
  • Courts and legal services$1.2 million
  • Inspections and regulation$784 thousand
Roads, transit and parking
11%$26.2 million
What's in roads, transit and parkingRoads and highways; airports and 1 more
  • Roads and highways$24.7 million
  • Airports$751 thousand
  • Public transit$709 thousand
Interest on debt
5.7%$14.1 million
What's in interest on debtInterest on general debt; interest on water supply debt and 1 more
  • Interest on general debt$7.1 million
  • Interest on water supply debt$6.0 million
  • Interest on electric power debt$1.0 million
Parks, recreation and libraries
3.9%$9.8 million
What's in parks, recreation and librariesParks and recreation and libraries
  • Parks and recreation$7.6 million
  • Libraries$2.2 million
Health and hospitals
1.5%$3.8 million
What's in health and hospitalsPublic health
  • Public health$3.8 million
Housing and community development
1.5%$3.7 million
Social services
0.2%$612 thousand
What's in social servicesOther public welfare
  • Other public welfare$612 thousand
Sources and moreWhere these numbers come from and what they cover

City of San Marcos. U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, individual unit file, fiscal year ended September 30, 2023. Most of this government's figures were estimated by the U.S. Census Bureau from a sample; the government did not report them itself.

What this covers. The money of City of San Marcos 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.