County government · Dane County, WI

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

In the latest recorded fiscal year (ended December 31, 2023), Dane County took in $760 million and spent $770 million.

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

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Where it comes from

County taxes42%State tax money28%Fees for services (airport, garbage collection)13%Fines and other7.0%Federal tax money6.7%Local tax money2.4%

What stands out

11%

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

County taxes42%

Property tax
29%$222 million
Sales tax
11%$83.8 million
Other taxes
2.1%$15.6 million
What's in other taxesMotor vehicle licenses; real estate and stock transfer taxes and 1 more
  • Motor vehicle licenses$12.1 million
  • Real estate and stock transfer taxes$2.6 million
  • Other licenses$964 thousand

Amounts are by Census tax category.

Fees for services13%

Fees for services
13%$102 million
What's in fees for servicesAirport; garbage collection and 5 more
  • Airport$35.4 million
  • Garbage collection$29.1 million
  • Other service charges$24.1 million
  • Parks and recreation$12.6 million
  • Parking$920 thousand
  • Parks, land and natural resources$134 thousand
  • Road charges$4 thousand

Amounts are by Census type of charge.

Federal tax money6.7%

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

From the federal government
6.7%$51.1 million

State tax money28%

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

From the state
28%$214 million

Local tax money2.4%

Money passed on by the county or other local governments.

From other local governments
2.4%$18.1 million

Fines and other7.0%

Interest, rents and other
6.8%$51.6 million
Fines
0.2%$1.6 million

Where it goes

Social services39%Police, fire, courts and jails20%Running the government and other costs17%Parks, recreation and libraries8.2%Roads, transit and parking7.2%All other spending8.0%

What stands out

39%

of Dane County's spending goes to social services.A typical U.S. county of 250,000+ people spends 4.3%.

Spending by category100%

Social services
39%$302 million
What's in social servicesOther public welfare and welfare institutions
  • Other public welfare$274 million
  • Welfare institutions$28.8 million
Police, fire, courts and jails
20%$157 million
What's in police, fire, courts and jailsPolice; prisons and jails and 1 more
  • Police$59.3 million
  • Prisons and jails$54.8 million
  • Courts and legal services$43.3 million
Running the government and other costs
17%$130 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$84.7 million
  • Central staff services (personnel, purchasing, technology)$26.0 million
  • Government buildings$14.9 million
  • Finance, tax collection and budgeting$4.9 million
Parks, recreation and libraries
8.2%$62.8 million
What's in parks, recreation and librariesParks and recreation and libraries
  • Parks and recreation$55.9 million
  • Libraries$6.9 million
Roads, transit and parking
7.2%$55.6 million
What's in roads, transit and parkingAirports; roads and highways and 1 more
  • Airports$36.5 million
  • Roads and highways$15.8 million
  • Parking$3.3 million
Water, sewer, trash and utilities
3.8%$29.0 million
What's in water, sewer, trash and utilitiesGarbage and solid waste
  • Garbage and solid waste$29.0 million
Interest on debt
2.4%$18.6 million
Health and hospitals
1.6%$12.4 million
What's in health and hospitalsPublic health
  • Public health$12.4 million
Schools and colleges
0.2%$1.5 million
What's in schools and collegesElementary and secondary schools
  • Elementary and secondary schools$1.5 million
Sources and moreWhere these numbers come from and what they cover

Dane 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 Dane 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.