County government · Clark County, WA

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

In the latest recorded fiscal year (ended December 31, 2023), Clark County took in $492 million and spent $408 million.

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

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Where it comes from

County taxes54%State tax money18%Fees for services (sewer, road charges)12%Federal tax money8.6%Fines and other6.0%Local tax money1.1%

What stands out

16%

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

County taxes54%

Property tax
28%$135 million
Sales tax
16%$79.0 million
Other taxes
11%$53.0 million
What's in other taxesOther licenses; real estate and stock transfer taxes and 6 more
  • Other licenses$24.2 million
  • Real estate and stock transfer taxes$11.4 million
  • Public utility taxes$7.2 million
  • Occupation and business licenses$5.4 million
  • Motor vehicle licenses$3.2 million
  • Other selective sales taxes$972 thousand
  • Severance taxes$492 thousand
  • Amusement taxes$177 thousand

Amounts are by Census tax category.

Fees for services12%

Fees for services
12%$57.3 million
What's in fees for servicesOther service charges; sewer and 4 more
  • Other service charges$34.2 million
  • Sewer$7.5 million
  • Road charges$6.4 million
  • Parks and recreation$5.0 million
  • Garbage collection$3.5 million
  • Parks, land and natural resources$558 thousand

Amounts are by Census type of charge.

Federal tax money8.6%

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

From the federal government
8.6%$42.2 million

State tax money18%

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

From the state
18%$89.7 million

Local tax money1.1%

Money passed on by the county or other local governments.

From other local governments
1.1%$5.5 million

Fines and other6.0%

Interest, rents and other
5.6%$27.7 million
Fines
0.3%$1.7 million

Where it goes

Police, fire, courts and jails34%Running the government and other costs18%Roads, transit and parking16%Social services11%Health and hospitals9.6%All other spending12%

What stands out

16%

of Clark 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
34%$138 million
What's in police, fire, courts and jailsPrisons and jails; police and 4 more
  • Prisons and jails$48.8 million
  • Police$46.9 million
  • Courts and legal services$33.3 million
  • Probation, parole and other corrections$4.3 million
  • Fire protection$2.9 million
  • Inspections and regulation$1.7 million
Running the government and other costs
18%$72.7 million
What's in running the government and other costsFinance, tax collection and budgeting; central staff services (personnel, purchasing, technology) and 2 more
  • Finance, tax collection and budgeting$31.6 million
  • Central staff services (personnel, purchasing, technology)$23.1 million
  • Other and not broken out$16.9 million
  • Government buildings$1.1 million
Roads, transit and parking
16%$66.4 million
What's in roads, transit and parkingRoads and highways
  • Roads and highways$66.4 million
Social services
11%$43.4 million
What's in social servicesOther public welfare
  • Other public welfare$43.4 million
Health and hospitals
9.6%$39.0 million
What's in health and hospitalsPublic health
  • Public health$39.0 million
Parks, recreation and libraries
4.5%$18.2 million
What's in parks, recreation and librariesParks and recreation and libraries
  • Parks and recreation$18.0 million
  • Libraries$190 thousand
Water, sewer, trash and utilities
3.1%$12.5 million
What's in water, sewer, trash and utilitiesSewer systems and garbage and solid waste
  • Sewer systems$9.4 million
  • Garbage and solid waste$3.1 million
Housing and community development
1.9%$7.9 million
Environment and natural resources
1.8%$7.5 million
What's in environment and natural resourcesNatural resources, farming and conservation
  • Natural resources, farming and conservation$7.5 million
Interest on debt
0.6%$2.5 million
Sources and moreWhere these numbers come from and what they cover

Clark 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 Clark 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.