ZIP 01606 · Worcester, MA

Two governments run on your community's money

From the state down to your schools: where each one's money comes from and goes.

Yearly budgets from each government's latest fiscal year on record. Tap one to jump to it.

Your state

Commonwealth of Massachusetts

$86.4 billion budget in the latest fiscal year on record, which ended June 30, 2024.

Where the money comes from

State taxes52%Federal tax money30%Fines and other9.2%Fees for services (college tuition, airport)8.4%Local tax money0.8%
Full Massachusetts breakdown

What stands out

27%

of Massachusetts' money comes from a personal income tax.A typical state government gets 14%.

State taxes52%

Individual income tax
27%$22.1 billion
Sales tax
11%$9.40 billion
Business income tax
7.6%$6.29 billion
Other taxes
6.2%$5.12 billion
What's in other taxesMotor fuel taxes; insurance premium taxes and 15 more
  • Motor fuel taxes$713 million
  • Insurance premium taxes$692 million
  • Other selective sales taxes$614 million
  • Estate and gift taxes$574 million
  • Occupation and business licenses$470 million
  • Motor vehicle licenses$465 million
  • Real estate and stock transfer taxes$346 million
  • Tobacco taxes$340 million
  • Amusement taxes$323 million
  • Other licenses$314 million
  • Driver's licenses$113 million
  • Alcoholic beverage taxes$98.4 million
  • Corporation licenses$28.6 million
  • Amusement licenses$14.8 million
  • Hunting and fishing licenses$7.7 million
  • Alcoholic beverage licenses$4.4 million
  • Public utility taxes$4.2 million

Amounts are by Census tax category.

Property tax
<0.1%$15.4 million

Fees for services8.4%

Fees for services
8.4%$6.95 billion
What's in fees for servicesCollege tuition; airport and 17 more
  • College tuition$2.07 billion
  • Airport$1.13 billion
  • Other service charges$784 million
  • University housing and dining$637 million
  • Tolls on roads and bridges$620 million
  • Sewer$540 million
  • Transit fares$417 million
  • Water$313 million
  • Ports and waterways$148 million
  • Road charges$92.0 million
  • Parks and recreation$75.7 million
  • Hospital bills$48.7 million
  • Parks, land and natural resources$32.0 million
  • Electric power$28.4 million
  • Housing$10.1 million
  • Other education charges$3.6 million
  • School lunches$1.5 million
  • Other school charges$356 thousand
  • School tuition and transportation$43 thousand

Amounts are by Census type of charge.

Federal tax money30%

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

From the federal government
30%$24.4 billion

Local tax money0.8%

Money passed on by the county or other local governments.

From local governments
0.8%$673 million

Fines and other9.2%

Interest, rents and other
8.8%$7.27 billion
Fines
0.4%$290 million
Massachusetts page →

Where the money goes

Social services40%Sent to local governments17%Schools and colleges12%Roads, transit and parking8.3%Running the government and other costs7.2%All other spending16%

What stands out

40%

of Massachusetts' spending goes to social services.A typical state government spends 31%.

Full Massachusetts breakdown

Spending by category100%

Social services
40%$34.6 billion
What's in social servicesOther public welfare; unemployment and social insurance offices and 2 more
  • Other public welfare$34.2 billion
  • Unemployment and social insurance offices$286 million
  • Welfare institutions$80.5 million
  • Veterans' services$33.9 million
Sent to local governments
17%$15.0 billion
What's in sent to local governmentsSent to local governments: elementary and secondary schools; sent to local governments: general support and 22 more
  • Sent to local governments: elementary and secondary schools$8.38 billion
  • Sent to local governments: general support$2.19 billion
  • Sent to school districts$1.48 billion
  • Sent to local governments: other and not broken out$941 million
  • Sent to local governments: housing and community development$772 million
  • Sent to local governments: roads and highways$392 million
  • Sent to local governments: public health$159 million
  • Sent to local governments: parks and recreation$146 million
  • Sent to local governments: police$118 million
  • Sent to local governments: other government administration$103 million
  • Sent to local governments: natural resources, farming and conservation$97.2 million
  • Sent to local governments: other public welfare$61.3 million
  • Sent to local governments: libraries$47.9 million
  • Sent to local governments: airports$19.8 million
  • Sent to local governments: central staff services (personnel, purchasing, technology)$19.4 million
  • Sent to local governments: hospitals$13.3 million
  • Sent to local governments: ports and harbors$7.7 million
  • Sent to local governments: inspections and regulation$5.7 million
  • Sent to local governments: sewer systems$5.3 million
  • Sent to local governments: prisons and jails$4.8 million
  • Sent to local governments: courts and legal services$4.2 million
  • Sent to local governments: colleges and universities$4.1 million
  • Sent to local governments: finance, tax collection and budgeting$3.2 million
  • Sent to the federal government$2.7 million
Schools and colleges
12%$9.99 billion
What's in schools and collegesColleges and universities; other education and 3 more
  • Colleges and universities$5.80 billion
  • Other education$1.88 billion
  • Scholarships and other education subsidies$1.02 billion
  • College housing, dining and bookstores$649 million
  • Elementary and secondary schools$636 million
Roads, transit and parking
8.3%$7.18 billion
What's in roads, transit and parkingPublic transit; roads and highways and 3 more
  • Public transit$3.39 billion
  • Roads and highways$2.17 billion
  • Airports$939 million
  • Toll roads and bridges$550 million
  • Ports and harbors$125 million
Running the government and other costs
7.2%$6.22 billion
What's in running the government and other costsOther and not broken out; finance, tax collection and budgeting and 3 more
  • Other and not broken out$4.18 billion
  • Finance, tax collection and budgeting$1.29 billion
  • Central staff services (personnel, purchasing, technology)$284 million
  • Government buildings$274 million
  • Other government administration$198 million
Police, fire, courts and jails
4.8%$4.13 billion
What's in police, fire, courts and jailsPrisons and jails; courts and legal services and 3 more
  • Prisons and jails$1.63 billion
  • Courts and legal services$1.38 billion
  • Police$747 million
  • Probation, parole and other corrections$219 million
  • Inspections and regulation$152 million
Health and hospitals
3.6%$3.13 billion
What's in health and hospitalsPublic health and hospitals
  • Public health$2.09 billion
  • Hospitals$1.04 billion
Interest on debt
2.8%$2.45 billion
What's in interest on debtInterest on general debt; interest on public transit debt and 2 more
  • Interest on general debt$2.19 billion
  • Interest on public transit debt$209 million
  • Interest on water supply debt$50.2 million
  • Interest on electric power debt$142 thousand
Housing and community development
2.4%$2.08 billion
Water, sewer, trash and utilities
0.8%$708 million
What's in water, sewer, trash and utilitiesSewer systems; water supply and 2 more
  • Sewer systems$442 million
  • Water supply$243 million
  • Electric power$22.0 million
  • Garbage and solid waste$1.0 million
Environment and natural resources
0.7%$601 million
What's in environment and natural resourcesNatural resources, farming and conservation
  • Natural resources, farming and conservation$601 million
Parks, recreation and libraries
0.3%$300 million
What's in parks, recreation and librariesParks and recreation and libraries
  • Parks and recreation$272 million
  • Libraries$28.2 million
Massachusetts page →

Your city

Public schools here are run by City of Worcester, so school money is part of its budget.

Massachusetts counties have been abolished or have limited roles, so no county government is shown.

City of Worcester

$1.34 billion budget in the latest fiscal year on record, which ended June 30, 2024.

About 94% of this ZIP is in Worcester.

Where the money comes from

State tax money40%City taxes39%Fees for services (sewer, water)11%Federal tax money7.7%Fines and other2.2%County and local tax money<0.1%

What stands out

40%

of Worcester's money comes from state tax money.A typical U.S. city of 50,000+ people gets 6.4%.

Full Worcester breakdown

City taxes39%

Property tax
37%$405 million
Other taxes
1.6%$17.9 million
What's in other taxesOther licenses and other selective sales taxes
  • Other licenses$10.9 million
  • Other selective sales taxes$7.0 million

Amounts are by Census tax category.

Fees for services11%

Fees for services
11%$124 million
What's in fees for servicesSewer; water and 8 more
  • Sewer$48.8 million
  • Water$30.5 million
  • Other service charges$29.7 million
  • Parking$7.0 million
  • Garbage collection$4.4 million
  • Parks and recreation$1.9 million
  • School lunches$908 thousand
  • Other government-run businesses$899 thousand
  • Other school charges$130 thousand
  • Parks, land and natural resources$19 thousand

Amounts are by Census type of charge.

Federal tax money7.7%

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

From the federal government
7.7%$84.7 million

State tax money40%

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

From the state
40%$439 million

County and local tax money<0.1%

Money passed on by the county or other local governments.

From the county and other local governments
<0.1%$965 thousand

Fines and other2.2%

Interest, rents and other
1.9%$20.5 million
Fines
0.3%$3.3 million
Worcester page →

Where the money goes

Schools and colleges54%Police, fire, courts and jails14%Running the government and other costs14%Water, sewer, trash and utilities5.8%Roads, transit and parking4.3%All other spending7.8%

What stands out

54%

of Worcester's spending goes to schools and colleges.Most U.S. cities of 50,000+ people spend nothing on this.

Full Worcester breakdown

Spending by category100%

Schools and colleges
54%$730 million
What's in schools and collegesElementary and secondary schools
  • Elementary and secondary schools$730 million
Police, fire, courts and jails
14%$189 million
What's in police, fire, courts and jailsPolice; fire protection and 2 more
  • Police$101 million
  • Fire protection$78.7 million
  • Inspections and regulation$7.2 million
  • Courts and legal services$2.6 million
Running the government and other costs
14%$183 million
What's in running the government and other costsOther and not broken out; government buildings and 2 more
  • Other and not broken out$154 million
  • Government buildings$11.7 million
  • Central staff services (personnel, purchasing, technology)$10.4 million
  • Finance, tax collection and budgeting$6.4 million
Water, sewer, trash and utilities
5.8%$77.5 million
What's in water, sewer, trash and utilitiesSewer systems and water supply
  • Sewer systems$46.8 million
  • Water supply$30.8 million
Roads, transit and parking
4.3%$57.2 million
What's in roads, transit and parkingRoads and highways and parking
  • Roads and highways$50.6 million
  • Parking$6.7 million
Interest on debt
2.6%$34.7 million
What's in interest on debtInterest on general debt and interest on water supply debt
  • Interest on general debt$33.0 million
  • Interest on water supply debt$1.8 million
Sent to other local governments
1.8%$24.6 million
What's in sent to other local governmentsSent to local governments: other and not broken out and sent to the state government
  • Sent to local governments: other and not broken out$20.2 million
  • Sent to the state government$4.4 million
Housing and community development
1.4%$18.6 million
Parks, recreation and libraries
1.2%$16.1 million
What's in parks, recreation and librariesParks and recreation and libraries
  • Parks and recreation$9.1 million
  • Libraries$6.9 million
Health and hospitals
0.6%$8.0 million
What's in health and hospitalsPublic health
  • Public health$8.0 million
Social services
0.2%$2.4 million
What's in social servicesOther public welfare
  • Other public welfare$2.4 million
Environment and natural resources
<0.1%$3 thousand
What's in environment and natural resourcesNatural resources, farming and conservation
  • Natural resources, farming and conservation$3 thousand
Worcester page →
Sources and moreEach government's source, fiscal year and how a ZIP is matched

Commonwealth of Massachusetts. U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, individual unit file, fiscal year ended June 30, 2024.

City of Worcester. U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, individual unit file, fiscal year ended June 30, 2024.

How a ZIP is matched. A ZIP code is not a government boundary, so we match it to the cities, counties and school districts that overlap it, using Census Bureau geography. Where a ZIP crosses several, each one is shown with its share of the ZIP. Each government's money covers its own operations only; the others listed here are separate.

Latest recorded year. The year differs by government: each block shows the newest fiscal year on file. A Census survey year covers fiscal years ending July 1 of the year before through June 30 of that year.