City government · Milwaukee County, WI

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

In the latest recorded fiscal year (ended December 31, 2023), Wauwatosa took in $121 million and spent $106 million.

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

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Where it comes from

City taxes52%Fees for services (water, sewer)26%Fines and other7.5%State tax money7.2%County and local tax money3.5%Federal tax money3.3%

What stands out

48%

of Wauwatosa's money comes from property tax.A typical U.S. city of 10,000 to 50,000 people gets 19%.

City taxes52%

Property tax
48%$58.0 million
Other taxes
3.5%$4.3 million
What's in other taxesOther selective sales taxes; other licenses and 2 more
  • Other selective sales taxes$1.9 million
  • Other licenses$1.7 million
  • Other taxes not classified elsewhere$380 thousand
  • Occupation and business licenses$274 thousand

Amounts are by Census tax category.

Sales tax
0.8%$951 thousand

Fees for services26%

Fees for services
26%$32.2 million
What's in fees for servicesWater; sewer and 5 more
  • Water$10.5 million
  • Sewer$10.3 million
  • Road charges$5.6 million
  • Other service charges$5.1 million
  • Parks and recreation$376 thousand
  • Garbage collection$241 thousand
  • Parks, land and natural resources$12 thousand

Amounts are by Census type of charge.

Federal tax money3.3%

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

From the federal government
3.3%$3.9 million

State tax money7.2%

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

From the state
7.2%$8.8 million

County and local tax money3.5%

Money passed on by the county or other local governments.

From the county and other local governments
3.5%$4.2 million

Fines and other7.5%

Interest, rents and other
6.8%$8.3 million
Fines
0.6%$759 thousand

Where it goes

Police, fire, courts and jails33%Water, sewer, trash and utilities17%Roads, transit and parking14%Health and hospitals9.9%Running the government and other costs9.8%All other spending16%

What stands out

10%

of Wauwatosa's spending goes to health services and hospitals.Most U.S. cities of 10,000 to 50,000 people spend nothing on this.

Spending by category100%

Police, fire, courts and jails
33%$34.8 million
What's in police, fire, courts and jailsPolice; fire protection and 2 more
  • Police$21.5 million
  • Fire protection$9.7 million
  • Courts and legal services$2.5 million
  • Inspections and regulation$1.1 million
Water, sewer, trash and utilities
17%$18.5 million
What's in water, sewer, trash and utilitiesWater supply; sewer systems and 1 more
  • Water supply$8.2 million
  • Sewer systems$7.6 million
  • Garbage and solid waste$2.6 million
Roads, transit and parking
14%$15.0 million
What's in roads, transit and parkingRoads and highways
  • Roads and highways$15.0 million
Health and hospitals
9.9%$10.5 million
What's in health and hospitalsPublic health
  • Public health$10.5 million
Running the government and other costs
9.8%$10.4 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$5.7 million
  • Central staff services (personnel, purchasing, technology)$2.7 million
  • Finance, tax collection and budgeting$2.0 million
  • Government buildings$114 thousand
Parks, recreation and libraries
6.0%$6.3 million
What's in parks, recreation and librariesLibraries and parks and recreation
  • Libraries$3.4 million
  • Parks and recreation$2.9 million
Housing and community development
5.6%$6.0 million
Interest on debt
4.5%$4.8 million
Social services
<0.1%$13 thousand
What's in social servicesOther public welfare
  • Other public welfare$13 thousand
Sources and moreWhere these numbers come from and what they cover

City of Wauwatosa. 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 Wauwatosa 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.