County government · Snohomish County, WA

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

In the latest recorded fiscal year (ended December 31, 2023), Snohomish County took in $975 million and spent $893 million.

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

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Where it comes from

County taxes42%Fees for services (garbage collection, sewer)27%State tax money16%Fines and other6.5%Federal tax money6.5%Local tax money2.2%

What stands out

16%

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

County taxes42%

Property tax
18%$180 million
Sales tax
16%$161 million
Other taxes
6.8%$66.5 million
What's in other taxesReal estate and stock transfer taxes; other licenses and 6 more
  • Real estate and stock transfer taxes$20.2 million
  • Other licenses$16.0 million
  • Public utility taxes$12.5 million
  • Other selective sales taxes$5.6 million
  • Motor vehicle licenses$5.5 million
  • Occupation and business licenses$4.2 million
  • Amusement taxes$2.1 million
  • Severance taxes$424 thousand

Amounts are by Census tax category.

Fees for services27%

Fees for services
27%$267 million
What's in fees for servicesOther service charges; garbage collection and 5 more
  • Other service charges$124 million
  • Garbage collection$76.5 million
  • Sewer$31.7 million
  • Airport$30.6 million
  • Parks and recreation$3.1 million
  • Parks, land and natural resources$496 thousand
  • Housing$494 thousand

Amounts are by Census type of charge.

Federal tax money6.5%

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

From the federal government
6.5%$63.6 million

State tax money16%

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

From the state
16%$153 million

Local tax money2.2%

Money passed on by the county or other local governments.

From other local governments
2.2%$21.0 million

Fines and other6.5%

Interest, rents and other
6.1%$59.9 million
Fines
0.4%$3.9 million

Where it goes

Police, fire, courts and jails27%Running the government and other costs20%Roads, transit and parking16%Water, sewer, trash and utilities12%Health and hospitals9.2%All other spending15%

What stands out

12%

of Snohomish County's spending goes to water, sewer, trash and other utilities.A typical U.S. county of 250,000+ people spends 2.6%.

Spending by category100%

Police, fire, courts and jails
27%$242 million
What's in police, fire, courts and jailsPolice; prisons and jails and 4 more
  • Police$84.5 million
  • Prisons and jails$82.4 million
  • Courts and legal services$68.7 million
  • Inspections and regulation$2.8 million
  • Probation, parole and other corrections$2.2 million
  • Fire protection$1.7 million
Running the government and other costs
20%$178 million
What's in running the government and other costsOther and not broken out; finance, tax collection and budgeting and 1 more
  • Other and not broken out$135 million
  • Finance, tax collection and budgeting$27.0 million
  • Central staff services (personnel, purchasing, technology)$16.0 million
Roads, transit and parking
16%$143 million
What's in roads, transit and parkingRoads and highways and airports
  • Roads and highways$103 million
  • Airports$39.6 million
Water, sewer, trash and utilities
12%$111 million
What's in water, sewer, trash and utilitiesGarbage and solid waste and sewer systems
  • Garbage and solid waste$76.6 million
  • Sewer systems$34.4 million
Health and hospitals
9.2%$81.8 million
What's in health and hospitalsPublic health
  • Public health$81.8 million
Social services
6.6%$58.9 million
What's in social servicesOther public welfare
  • Other public welfare$58.9 million
Parks, recreation and libraries
3.0%$27.0 million
What's in parks, recreation and librariesParks and recreation
  • Parks and recreation$27.0 million
Environment and natural resources
2.4%$21.5 million
What's in environment and natural resourcesNatural resources, farming and conservation
  • Natural resources, farming and conservation$21.5 million
Housing and community development
1.9%$17.3 million
Interest on debt
1.4%$12.6 million
Sources and moreWhere these numbers come from and what they cover

Snohomish 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 Snohomish 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.