City government · McLennan County, TX

Waco's money: where it comes from and where it goes

In the latest recorded fiscal year (ended September 30, 2023), Waco took in $492 million and spent $545 million.

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

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Where it comes from

City taxes38%Fees for services (water, sewer)34%Fines and other17%Federal tax money8.9%State tax money1.7%

What stands out

17%

of Waco's money comes from interest, rents and other revenue.A typical U.S. city of 50,000+ people gets 6.9%.

City taxes38%

Property tax
21%$106 million
Sales tax
11%$55.7 million
Other taxes
5.4%$26.4 million
What's in other taxesPublic utility taxes; other selective sales taxes and 2 more
  • Public utility taxes$16.4 million
  • Other selective sales taxes$6.5 million
  • Other licenses$3.4 million
  • Occupation and business licenses$91 thousand

Amounts are by Census tax category.

Fees for services34%

Fees for services
34%$168 million
What's in fees for servicesWater; sewer and 5 more
  • Water$65.3 million
  • Sewer$54.2 million
  • Garbage collection$32.4 million
  • Parks and recreation$9.4 million
  • Other service charges$2.9 million
  • Transit fares$2.4 million
  • Airport$989 thousand

Amounts are by Census type of charge.

Federal tax money8.9%

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

From the federal government
8.9%$43.8 million

State tax money1.7%

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

From the state
1.7%$8.2 million

Fines and other17%

Interest, rents and other
17%$83.2 million
Fines
0.4%$2.0 million

Where it goes

Water, sewer, trash and utilities23%Running the government and other costs21%Police, fire, courts and jails17%Interest on debt14%Roads, transit and parking11%All other spending13%

What stands out

14%

of Waco's spending goes to interest on debt.A typical U.S. city of 50,000+ people spends 2.5%.

Spending by category100%

Water, sewer, trash and utilities
23%$127 million
What's in water, sewer, trash and utilitiesWater supply; sewer systems and 1 more
  • Water supply$51.4 million
  • Sewer systems$44.5 million
  • Garbage and solid waste$31.4 million
Running the government and other costs
21%$117 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$101 million
  • Central staff services (personnel, purchasing, technology)$7.2 million
  • Government buildings$5.3 million
  • Finance, tax collection and budgeting$3.4 million
Police, fire, courts and jails
17%$93.9 million
What's in police, fire, courts and jailsPolice; fire protection and 2 more
  • Police$50.3 million
  • Fire protection$35.9 million
  • Inspections and regulation$4.7 million
  • Courts and legal services$3.0 million
Interest on debt
14%$74.4 million
What's in interest on debtInterest on general debt and interest on water supply debt
  • Interest on general debt$67.7 million
  • Interest on water supply debt$6.7 million
Roads, transit and parking
11%$59.5 million
What's in roads, transit and parkingRoads and highways; public transit and 1 more
  • Roads and highways$42.5 million
  • Public transit$9.4 million
  • Airports$7.6 million
Parks, recreation and libraries
8.6%$47.0 million
What's in parks, recreation and librariesParks and recreation and libraries
  • Parks and recreation$41.9 million
  • Libraries$5.2 million
Health and hospitals
2.6%$13.9 million
What's in health and hospitalsPublic health
  • Public health$13.9 million
Housing and community development
2.1%$11.5 million
Sent to other local governments
0.2%$1.0 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$1.0 million
Sources and moreWhere these numbers come from and what they cover

City of Waco. 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 Waco 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.