City government · Clark County, WA

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

In the latest recorded fiscal year (ended December 31, 2023), Vancouver took in $574 million and spent $473 million.

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

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Where it comes from

City taxes49%Fees for services (sewer, water)35%Fines and other7.0%Federal tax money5.0%State tax money3.5%County and local tax money0.9%

What stands out

19%

of Vancouver's money comes from taxes other than property, sales and income taxes.A typical U.S. city of 50,000+ people gets 7.2%.

City taxes49%

Other taxes
19%$108 million
What's in other taxesPublic utility taxes; other licenses and 5 more
  • Public utility taxes$67.0 million
  • Other licenses$15.3 million
  • Motor vehicle licenses$7.7 million
  • Real estate and stock transfer taxes$7.4 million
  • Occupation and business licenses$7.0 million
  • Other selective sales taxes$3.7 million
  • Amusement taxes$165 thousand

Amounts are by Census tax category.

Sales tax
16%$92.4 million
Property tax
14%$79.5 million

Fees for services35%

Fees for services
35%$199 million
What's in fees for servicesSewer; water and 7 more
  • Sewer$85.7 million
  • Water$54.4 million
  • Other service charges$47.2 million
  • Parking$4.8 million
  • Parks and recreation$3.6 million
  • Garbage collection$2.3 million
  • Airport$705 thousand
  • Road charges$457 thousand
  • Other government-run businesses$175 thousand

Amounts are by Census type of charge.

Federal tax money5.0%

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

From the federal government
5.0%$28.8 million

State tax money3.5%

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

From the state
3.5%$20.3 million

County and local tax money0.9%

Money passed on by the county or other local governments.

From the county and other local governments
0.9%$5.1 million

Fines and other7.0%

Interest, rents and other
6.6%$38.0 million
Fines
0.4%$2.1 million

Where it goes

Police, fire, courts and jails37%Water, sewer, trash and utilities31%Roads, transit and parking13%Running the government and other costs9.4%Parks, recreation and libraries4.7%All other spending5.1%

What stands out

31%

of Vancouver's spending goes to water, sewer, trash and other utilities.A typical U.S. city of 50,000+ people spends 20%.

Spending by category100%

Police, fire, courts and jails
37%$174 million
What's in police, fire, courts and jailsPolice; fire protection and 2 more
  • Police$95.4 million
  • Fire protection$69.3 million
  • Inspections and regulation$4.9 million
  • Courts and legal services$4.0 million
Water, sewer, trash and utilities
31%$148 million
What's in water, sewer, trash and utilitiesSewer systems; water supply and 1 more
  • Sewer systems$74.0 million
  • Water supply$71.3 million
  • Garbage and solid waste$2.5 million
Roads, transit and parking
13%$60.5 million
What's in roads, transit and parkingRoads and highways; parking and 1 more
  • Roads and highways$56.8 million
  • Parking$2.9 million
  • Airports$846 thousand
Running the government and other costs
9.4%$44.5 million
What's in running the government and other costsOther and not broken out; central staff services (personnel, purchasing, technology) and 1 more
  • Other and not broken out$28.2 million
  • Central staff services (personnel, purchasing, technology)$16.2 million
  • Other government-run businesses$42 thousand
Parks, recreation and libraries
4.7%$22.5 million
What's in parks, recreation and librariesParks and recreation
  • Parks and recreation$22.5 million
Housing and community development
4.3%$20.1 million
Interest on debt
0.8%$3.7 million
What's in interest on debtInterest on general debt and interest on water supply debt
  • Interest on general debt$3.6 million
  • Interest on water supply debt$125 thousand
Sent to other local governments
<0.1%$302 thousand
What's in sent to other local governmentsSent to the state government
  • Sent to the state government$302 thousand
Sources and moreWhere these numbers come from and what they cover

City of Vancouver. 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 City of Vancouver 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.