County government · Ward County, TX

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

In the latest recorded fiscal year (ended December 31, 2023), Ward County took in $76.0 million and spent $53.8 million.

Latest recorded year: ended December 31, 2023Comes fromGoes to

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Where it comes from

County taxes63%Fees for services (hospital bills, parks and recreation)27%Fines and other8.0%State tax money2.5%

What stands out

61%

of Ward County's money comes from property tax.A typical U.S. county of under 50,000 people gets 28%.

County taxes63%

Property tax
61%$46.5 million
Other taxes
1.2%$930 thousand
What's in other taxesOther selective sales taxes; other licenses and 1 more
  • Other selective sales taxes$550 thousand
  • Other licenses$352 thousand
  • Alcoholic beverage licenses$28 thousand

Amounts are by Census tax category.

Sales tax
0.1%$98 thousand

Fees for services27%

Fees for services
27%$20.6 million
What's in fees for servicesHospital bills; other service charges and 1 more
  • Hospital bills$19.7 million
  • Other service charges$780 thousand
  • Parks and recreation$135 thousand

Amounts are by Census type of charge.

State tax money2.5%

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

From the state
2.5%$1.9 million

Fines and other8.0%

Interest, rents and other
7.0%$5.3 million
Fines
1.0%$761 thousand

Where it goes

Health and hospitals42%Police, fire, courts and jails19%Running the government and other costs19%Roads, transit and parking12%Parks, recreation and libraries8.4%All other spending0.9%

What stands out

42%

of Ward County's spending goes to health services and hospitals.A typical U.S. county of under 50,000 people spends 4.8%.

Spending by category100%

Health and hospitals
42%$22.3 million
What's in health and hospitalsHospitals and public health
  • Hospitals$20.7 million
  • Public health$1.7 million
Police, fire, courts and jails
19%$10.1 million
What's in police, fire, courts and jailsPrisons and jails; police and 3 more
  • Prisons and jails$4.6 million
  • Police$3.1 million
  • Courts and legal services$1.9 million
  • Probation, parole and other corrections$414 thousand
  • Fire protection$117 thousand
Running the government and other costs
19%$10.0 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$6.8 million
  • Central staff services (personnel, purchasing, technology)$2.2 million
  • Finance, tax collection and budgeting$549 thousand
  • Government buildings$475 thousand
Roads, transit and parking
12%$6.3 million
What's in roads, transit and parkingRoads and highways
  • Roads and highways$6.3 million
Parks, recreation and libraries
8.4%$4.5 million
What's in parks, recreation and librariesParks and recreation and libraries
  • Parks and recreation$4.1 million
  • Libraries$426 thousand
Social services
0.5%$248 thousand
What's in social servicesOther public welfare
  • Other public welfare$248 thousand
Environment and natural resources
0.3%$187 thousand
What's in environment and natural resourcesNatural resources, farming and conservation
  • Natural resources, farming and conservation$187 thousand
Sent to other local governments
<0.1%$50 thousand
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$50 thousand
Sources and moreWhere these numbers come from and what they cover

Ward County. U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, individual unit file, fiscal year ended December 31, 2023.

What this covers. The money of Ward 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.