City government · Dane County, WI

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

In the latest recorded fiscal year (ended December 31, 2023), Madison took in $870 million and spent $755 million.

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

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Where it comes from

City taxes40%Fees for services (water, sewer)24%State tax money15%Federal tax money10%Fines and other8.0%County and local tax money3.4%

What stands out

35%

of Madison's money comes from property tax.A typical U.S. city of 50,000+ people gets 20%.

City taxes40%

Property tax
35%$305 million
Other taxes
4.5%$39.3 million
What's in other taxesOther selective sales taxes; other taxes not classified elsewhere and 2 more
  • Other selective sales taxes$21.1 million
  • Other taxes not classified elsewhere$7.1 million
  • Other licenses$7.0 million
  • Occupation and business licenses$4.1 million

Amounts are by Census tax category.

Fees for services24%

Fees for services
24%$206 million
What's in fees for servicesWater; sewer and 9 more
  • Water$56.7 million
  • Sewer$49.6 million
  • Road charges$22.1 million
  • Parks and recreation$18.0 million
  • Other service charges$17.0 million
  • Parking$13.4 million
  • Transit fares$11.5 million
  • Housing$7.1 million
  • Parks, land and natural resources$6.2 million
  • Garbage collection$4.1 million
  • Other government-run businesses$421 thousand

Amounts are by Census type of charge.

Federal tax money10%

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

From the federal government
10%$87.9 million

State tax money15%

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

From the state
15%$133 million

County and local tax money3.4%

Money passed on by the county or other local governments.

From the county and other local governments
3.4%$29.6 million

Fines and other8.0%

Interest, rents and other
7.4%$64.0 million
Fines
0.6%$5.3 million

Where it goes

Roads, transit and parking28%Police, fire, courts and jails22%Running the government and other costs14%Water, sewer, trash and utilities13%Parks, recreation and libraries9.9%All other spending13%

What stands out

28%

of Madison's spending goes to roads, transit and parking.A typical U.S. city of 50,000+ people spends 10%.

Spending by category100%

Roads, transit and parking
28%$209 million
What's in roads, transit and parkingPublic transit; roads and highways and 1 more
  • Public transit$101 million
  • Roads and highways$92.6 million
  • Parking$15.7 million
Police, fire, courts and jails
22%$169 million
What's in police, fire, courts and jailsPolice; fire protection and 2 more
  • Police$90.4 million
  • Fire protection$70.5 million
  • Inspections and regulation$4.5 million
  • Courts and legal services$3.7 million
Running the government and other costs
14%$103 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$64.7 million
  • Central staff services (personnel, purchasing, technology)$24.2 million
  • Finance, tax collection and budgeting$7.7 million
  • Government buildings$5.9 million
Water, sewer, trash and utilities
13%$97.6 million
What's in water, sewer, trash and utilitiesSewer systems; water supply and 1 more
  • Sewer systems$50.0 million
  • Water supply$30.4 million
  • Garbage and solid waste$17.2 million
Parks, recreation and libraries
9.9%$74.6 million
What's in parks, recreation and librariesParks and recreation and libraries
  • Parks and recreation$52.8 million
  • Libraries$21.7 million
Housing and community development
8.6%$64.8 million
Interest on debt
2.9%$22.0 million
What's in interest on debtInterest on general debt and interest on public transit debt
  • Interest on general debt$21.8 million
  • Interest on public transit debt$230 thousand
Health and hospitals
1.3%$10.1 million
What's in health and hospitalsPublic health
  • Public health$10.1 million
Social services
0.6%$4.3 million
What's in social servicesOther public welfare
  • Other public welfare$4.3 million
Environment and natural resources
<0.1%$104 thousand
What's in environment and natural resourcesNatural resources, farming and conservation
  • Natural resources, farming and conservation$104 thousand
Sources and moreWhere these numbers come from and what they cover

City of Madison. 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 Madison 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.