County government · Prince William County, VA

Prince William County's money: where it comes from and where it goes

In the latest recorded fiscal year (ended June 30, 2024), Prince William County took in $2.99 billion and spent $3.15 billion.

Latest recorded year: ended June 30, 2024Comes fromGoes to

See every government that serves your ZIP

Where it comes from

County taxes52%State tax money30%Fees for services (sewer, water)7.4%Fines and other6.2%Federal tax money2.8%Local tax money1.9%

What stands out

43%

of Prince William County's money comes from property tax.A typical U.S. county of 250,000+ people gets 29%.

County taxes52%

Property tax
43%$1.29 billion
Other taxes
5.7%$172 million
What's in other taxesOther selective sales taxes; occupation and business licenses and 5 more
  • Other selective sales taxes$54.7 million
  • Occupation and business licenses$38.9 million
  • Other licenses$27.3 million
  • Real estate and stock transfer taxes$17.4 million
  • Public utility taxes$17.0 million
  • Motor vehicle licenses$12.6 million
  • Tobacco taxes$3.6 million

Amounts are by Census tax category.

Sales tax
3.2%$95.7 million

Fees for services7.4%

Fees for services
7.4%$221 million
What's in fees for servicesSewer; water and 8 more
  • Sewer$91.9 million
  • Water$56.7 million
  • Garbage collection$27.6 million
  • Parks and recreation$15.5 million
  • Other service charges$12.4 million
  • School lunches$11.7 million
  • School tuition and transportation$2.4 million
  • Other school charges$1.8 million
  • Housing$777 thousand
  • Road charges$20 thousand

Amounts are by Census type of charge.

Federal tax money2.8%

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

From the federal government
2.8%$83.7 million

State tax money30%

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

From the state
30%$889 million

Local tax money1.9%

Money passed on by the county or other local governments.

From other local governments
1.9%$55.6 million

Fines and other6.2%

Interest, rents and other
6.1%$181 million
Fines
<0.1%$2.5 million

Where it goes

Schools and colleges52%Police, fire, courts and jails16%Running the government and other costs7.8%Water, sewer, trash and utilities6.8%Roads, transit and parking4.6%All other spending13%

What stands out

52%

of Prince William County's spending goes to schools and colleges.Most U.S. counties of 250,000+ people spend nothing on this.

Spending by category100%

Schools and colleges
52%$1.63 billion
What's in schools and collegesElementary and secondary schools
  • Elementary and secondary schools$1.63 billion
Police, fire, courts and jails
16%$497 million
What's in police, fire, courts and jailsFire protection; police and 4 more
  • Fire protection$166 million
  • Police$158 million
  • Prisons and jails$103 million
  • Courts and legal services$44.4 million
  • Inspections and regulation$24.1 million
  • Probation, parole and other corrections$1.6 million
Running the government and other costs
7.8%$245 million
What's in running the government and other costsOther and not broken out; government buildings and 2 more
  • Other and not broken out$149 million
  • Government buildings$41.4 million
  • Central staff services (personnel, purchasing, technology)$27.8 million
  • Finance, tax collection and budgeting$27.8 million
Water, sewer, trash and utilities
6.8%$215 million
What's in water, sewer, trash and utilitiesSewer systems; water supply and 1 more
  • Sewer systems$111 million
  • Water supply$82.6 million
  • Garbage and solid waste$21.4 million
Roads, transit and parking
4.6%$144 million
What's in roads, transit and parkingRoads and highways
  • Roads and highways$144 million
Social services
4.4%$138 million
What's in social servicesOther public welfare
  • Other public welfare$138 million
Parks, recreation and libraries
2.4%$74.6 million
What's in parks, recreation and librariesParks and recreation and libraries
  • Parks and recreation$52.0 million
  • Libraries$22.5 million
Housing and community development
2.3%$71.3 million
Health and hospitals
2.2%$70.8 million
What's in health and hospitalsPublic health
  • Public health$70.8 million
Sent to other local governments
1.6%$51.3 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$51.3 million
Interest on debt
0.2%$6.5 million
What's in interest on debtInterest on general debt and interest on water supply debt
  • Interest on general debt$4.5 million
  • Interest on water supply debt$2.0 million
Environment and natural resources
<0.1%$1.3 million
What's in environment and natural resourcesNatural resources, farming and conservation
  • Natural resources, farming and conservation$1.3 million
Sources and moreWhere these numbers come from and what they cover

Prince William County. U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, individual unit file, fiscal year ended June 30, 2024.

What this covers. The money of Prince William 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.