ZIP 22304 · Alexandria, VA

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 Virginia

$82.5 billion budget in the latest fiscal year on record, which ended June 30, 2024.

Where the money comes from

State taxes45%Federal tax money26%Fees for services (hospital bills, college tuition)18%Fines and other9.9%Local tax money1.5%

What stands out

18%

of Virginia's money comes from fees for services such as water, sewer and parking.A typical state government gets 10%.

Full Virginia breakdown

State taxes45%

Individual income tax
21%$17.6 billion
Other taxes
10%$8.58 billion
What's in other taxesOther selective sales taxes; motor fuel taxes and 16 more
  • Other selective sales taxes$3.08 billion
  • Motor fuel taxes$1.87 billion
  • Insurance premium taxes$768 million
  • Real estate and stock transfer taxes$531 million
  • Motor vehicle licenses$509 million
  • Public utility taxes$476 million
  • Occupation and business licenses$424 million
  • Alcoholic beverage taxes$289 million
  • Tobacco taxes$225 million
  • Amusement taxes$124 million
  • Corporation licenses$81.8 million
  • Other licenses$64.0 million
  • Driver's licenses$44.4 million
  • Amusement licenses$35.6 million
  • Hunting and fishing licenses$27.9 million
  • Alcoholic beverage licenses$17.2 million
  • Severance taxes$5.9 million
  • Public utility licenses$782 thousand

Amounts are by Census tax category.

Sales tax
8.8%$7.40 billion
Business income tax
4.6%$3.84 billion
Property tax
<0.1%$45.1 million

Fees for services18%

Fees for services
18%$15.0 billion
What's in fees for servicesHospital bills; college tuition and 12 more
  • Hospital bills$7.02 billion
  • College tuition$3.32 billion
  • University housing and dining$1.72 billion
  • Liquor stores$1.20 billion
  • Ports and waterways$745 million
  • Other service charges$526 million
  • Road charges$146 million
  • Tolls on roads and bridges$94.4 million
  • Housing$61.2 million
  • Parks and recreation$55.9 million
  • Other education charges$40.3 million
  • Parks, land and natural resources$13.0 million
  • Airport$79 thousand
  • Garbage collection$10 thousand

Amounts are by Census type of charge.

Federal tax money26%

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

From the federal government
26%$22.2 billion

Local tax money1.5%

Money passed on by the county or other local governments.

From local governments
1.5%$1.26 billion

Fines and other9.9%

Interest, rents and other
9.5%$8.03 billion
Fines
0.3%$286 million
Virginia page →

Where the money goes

Social services29%Sent to local governments24%Schools and colleges17%Health and hospitals11%Roads, transit and parking7.8%All other spending12%

What stands out

11%

of Virginia's spending goes to health services and hospitals.A typical state government spends 5.7%.

Full Virginia breakdown

Spending by category100%

Social services
29%$23.9 billion
What's in social servicesOther public welfare; unemployment and social insurance offices and 2 more
  • Other public welfare$23.6 billion
  • Unemployment and social insurance offices$119 million
  • Veterans' services$56.0 million
  • Welfare institutions$41.0 million
Sent to local governments
24%$20.0 billion
What's in sent to local governmentsSent to local governments: elementary and secondary schools; sent to local governments: roads and highways and 20 more
  • Sent to local governments: elementary and secondary schools$12.5 billion
  • Sent to local governments: roads and highways$1.99 billion
  • Sent to local governments: other and not broken out$1.25 billion
  • Sent to local governments: public health$1.18 billion
  • Sent to local governments: other public welfare$867 million
  • Sent to local governments: police$470 million
  • Sent to local governments: probation, parole and other corrections$377 million
  • Sent to local governments: natural resources, farming and conservation$282 million
  • Sent to local governments: courts and legal services$272 million
  • Sent to local governments: other government administration$253 million
  • Sent to local governments: housing and community development$213 million
  • Sent to local governments: finance, tax collection and budgeting$142 million
  • Sent to local governments: prisons and jails$92.2 million
  • Sent to school districts (colleges)$39.5 million
  • Sent to local governments: airports$34.7 million
  • Sent to local governments: libraries$29.2 million
  • Sent to local governments: parks and recreation$26.0 million
  • Sent to local governments: sewer systems$22.7 million
  • Sent to local governments: other education$3.0 million
  • Sent to local governments: inspections and regulation$388 thousand
  • Sent to local governments: hospitals$204 thousand
  • Sent to the federal government$106 thousand
Schools and colleges
17%$13.7 billion
What's in schools and collegesColleges and universities; college housing, dining and bookstores and 2 more
  • Colleges and universities$9.19 billion
  • College housing, dining and bookstores$2.37 billion
  • Scholarships and other education subsidies$1.68 billion
  • Other education$417 million
Health and hospitals
11%$8.72 billion
What's in health and hospitalsHospitals and public health
  • Hospitals$7.20 billion
  • Public health$1.52 billion
Roads, transit and parking
7.8%$6.43 billion
What's in roads, transit and parkingRoads and highways; ports and harbors and 3 more
  • Roads and highways$5.30 billion
  • Ports and harbors$832 million
  • Public transit$212 million
  • Toll roads and bridges$78.8 million
  • Airports$6.7 million
Police, fire, courts and jails
4.5%$3.75 billion
What's in police, fire, courts and jailsPrisons and jails; police and 3 more
  • Prisons and jails$1.49 billion
  • Police$799 million
  • Courts and legal services$737 million
  • Probation, parole and other corrections$400 million
  • Inspections and regulation$319 million
Running the government and other costs
3.2%$2.66 billion
What's in running the government and other costsFinance, tax collection and budgeting; other and not broken out and 3 more
  • Finance, tax collection and budgeting$1.39 billion
  • Other and not broken out$545 million
  • Government buildings$390 million
  • Central staff services (personnel, purchasing, technology)$177 million
  • Other government administration$160 million
Interest on debt
1.6%$1.31 billion
Water, sewer, trash and utilities
1.2%$991 million
What's in water, sewer, trash and utilitiesLiquor stores; sewer systems and 1 more
  • Liquor stores$986 million
  • Sewer systems$2.6 million
  • Garbage and solid waste$2.3 million
Environment and natural resources
0.6%$474 million
What's in environment and natural resourcesNatural resources, farming and conservation
  • Natural resources, farming and conservation$474 million
Housing and community development
0.4%$337 million
Parks, recreation and libraries
0.3%$244 million
What's in parks, recreation and librariesParks and recreation and libraries
  • Parks and recreation$221 million
  • Libraries$23.6 million
Virginia page →

Your city

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

Alexandria city is an independent city, so the city government also serves as the county.

City of Alexandria

$1.52 billion budget in the latest fiscal year on record, which ended June 30, 2024.

About 97% of this ZIP is in Alexandria.

Where the money comes from

City taxes64%Fees for services (sewer, housing)10%Federal tax money9.6%State tax money8.7%Fines and other6.9%County and local tax money1.0%
Full Alexandria breakdown

What stands out

50%

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

City taxes64%

Property tax
50%$610 million
Other taxes
10%$127 million
What's in other taxesOther selective sales taxes; occupation and business licenses and 6 more
  • Other selective sales taxes$46.6 million
  • Occupation and business licenses$42.3 million
  • Public utility taxes$19.8 million
  • Other licenses$12.0 million
  • Real estate and stock transfer taxes$3.9 million
  • Tobacco taxes$1.9 million
  • Amusement taxes$373 thousand
  • Motor vehicle licenses$2 thousand

Amounts are by Census tax category.

Sales tax
3.9%$47.5 million

Fees for services10%

Fees for services
10%$124 million
What's in fees for servicesSewer; other service charges and 9 more
  • Sewer$84.3 million
  • Other service charges$11.0 million
  • Housing$6.8 million
  • Garbage collection$6.2 million
  • Parks and recreation$6.2 million
  • Parking$5.8 million
  • School lunches$2.1 million
  • Road charges$643 thousand
  • Transit fares$378 thousand
  • School tuition and transportation$136 thousand
  • Other school charges$103 thousand

Amounts are by Census type of charge.

Federal tax money9.6%

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

From the federal government
9.6%$118 million

State tax money8.7%

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

From the state
8.7%$107 million

County and local tax money1.0%

Money passed on by the county or other local governments.

From the county and other local governments
1.0%$12.5 million

Fines and other6.9%

Interest, rents and other
6.4%$78.1 million
Fines
0.5%$6.1 million
Alexandria page →

Where the money goes

Schools and colleges24%Running the government and other costs15%Roads, transit and parking14%Police, fire, courts and jails13%Water, sewer, trash and utilities12%All other spending22%

What stands out

24%

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

Full Alexandria breakdown

Spending by category100%

Schools and colleges
24%$371 million
What's in schools and collegesElementary and secondary schools
  • Elementary and secondary schools$371 million
Running the government and other costs
15%$223 million
What's in running the government and other costsGovernment buildings; other and not broken out and 2 more
  • Government buildings$104 million
  • Other and not broken out$86.0 million
  • Central staff services (personnel, purchasing, technology)$18.6 million
  • Finance, tax collection and budgeting$15.0 million
Roads, transit and parking
14%$214 million
What's in roads, transit and parkingPublic transit and roads and highways
  • Public transit$165 million
  • Roads and highways$49.0 million
Police, fire, courts and jails
13%$197 million
What's in police, fire, courts and jailsPolice; fire protection and 3 more
  • Police$81.6 million
  • Fire protection$62.9 million
  • Prisons and jails$26.7 million
  • Courts and legal services$18.0 million
  • Inspections and regulation$8.3 million
Water, sewer, trash and utilities
12%$185 million
What's in water, sewer, trash and utilitiesSewer systems and garbage and solid waste
  • Sewer systems$175 million
  • Garbage and solid waste$9.9 million
Housing and community development
7.5%$113 million
Social services
4.1%$62.4 million
What's in social servicesOther public welfare
  • Other public welfare$62.4 million
Health and hospitals
3.6%$55.3 million
What's in health and hospitalsPublic health
  • Public health$55.3 million
Interest on debt
3.4%$52.3 million
Parks, recreation and libraries
2.8%$43.3 million
What's in parks, recreation and librariesParks and recreation and libraries
  • Parks and recreation$34.1 million
  • Libraries$9.2 million
Sent to other local governments
0.1%$1.6 million
What's in sent to other local governmentsSent to local governments: other and not broken out
  • Sent to local governments: other and not broken out$1.6 million
Environment and natural resources
<0.1%$378 thousand
What's in environment and natural resourcesNatural resources, farming and conservation
  • Natural resources, farming and conservation$378 thousand
Alexandria page →
Sources and moreEach government's source, fiscal year and how a ZIP is matched

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

City of Alexandria. 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.