ZIP 31904 · Columbus, GA

Three 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

State of Georgia

$70.7 billion budget in the latest fiscal year on record, which ended June 30, 2024.

Where the money comes from

State taxes50%Federal tax money38%Fees for services (college tuition, university housing and dining)7.1%Fines and other4.7%Local tax money<0.1%
Full Georgia breakdown

What stands out

24%

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

State taxes50%

Individual income tax
24%$16.0 billion
Sales tax
13%$9.01 billion
Other taxes
6.1%$4.13 billion
What's in other taxesMotor fuel taxes; insurance premium taxes and 11 more
  • Motor fuel taxes$1.76 billion
  • Insurance premium taxes$562 million
  • Other selective sales taxes$535 million
  • Motor vehicle licenses$409 million
  • Tobacco taxes$226 million
  • Alcoholic beverage taxes$224 million
  • Other taxes not classified elsewhere$203 million
  • Occupation and business licenses$85.3 million
  • Corporation licenses$57.2 million
  • Driver's licenses$34.8 million
  • Hunting and fishing licenses$29.0 million
  • Alcoholic beverage licenses$5.0 million
  • Other licenses$452 thousand

Amounts are by Census tax category.

Business income tax
5.4%$3.61 billion
Property tax
1.3%$863 million

Fees for services7.1%

Fees for services
7.1%$4.77 billion
What's in fees for servicesCollege tuition; university housing and dining and 11 more
  • College tuition$1.85 billion
  • University housing and dining$803 million
  • Ports and waterways$699 million
  • Other service charges$617 million
  • Hospital bills$374 million
  • Parks and recreation$178 million
  • Tolls on roads and bridges$76.6 million
  • Other education charges$72.8 million
  • Parks, land and natural resources$68.1 million
  • Road charges$28.0 million
  • Housing$4.3 million
  • Transit fares$2.0 million
  • Airport$10 thousand

Amounts are by Census type of charge.

Federal tax money38%

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

From the federal government
38%$25.6 billion

Local tax money<0.1%

Money passed on by the county or other local governments.

From local governments
<0.1%$60.4 million

Fines and other4.7%

Interest, rents and other
4.6%$3.10 billion
Fines
<0.1%$57.5 million
Georgia page →

Where the money goes

Social services27%Sent to local governments25%Schools and colleges20%Roads, transit and parking7.8%Running the government and other costs7.0%All other spending14%

What stands out

20%

of Georgia's spending goes to schools and colleges.A typical state government spends 15%.

Full Georgia breakdown

Spending by category100%

Social services
27%$19.1 billion
What's in social servicesOther public welfare; unemployment and social insurance offices and 2 more
  • Other public welfare$19.0 billion
  • Unemployment and social insurance offices$39.6 million
  • Veterans' services$24.3 million
  • Welfare institutions$23.4 million
Sent to local governments
25%$17.9 billion
What's in sent to local governmentsSent to school districts; sent to local governments: finance, tax collection and budgeting and 17 more
  • Sent to school districts$14.3 billion
  • Sent to local governments: finance, tax collection and budgeting$850 million
  • Sent to local governments: public health$708 million
  • Sent to local governments: other public welfare$603 million
  • Sent to local governments: roads and highways$523 million
  • Sent to local governments: hospitals$271 million
  • Sent to local governments: other and not broken out$243 million
  • Sent to local governments: airports$71.4 million
  • Sent to local governments: housing and community development$56.3 million
  • Sent to local governments: police$52.0 million
  • Sent to local governments: libraries$47.4 million
  • Sent to local governments: courts and legal services$40.4 million
  • Sent to local governments: probation, parole and other corrections$36.8 million
  • Sent to local governments: natural resources, farming and conservation$26.2 million
  • Sent to local governments: inspections and regulation$3.5 million
  • Sent to local governments: other education$2.5 million
  • Sent to local governments: other government administration$599 thousand
  • Sent to local governments: central staff services (personnel, purchasing, technology)$449 thousand
  • Sent to local governments: prisons and jails$114 thousand
Schools and colleges
20%$13.8 billion
What's in schools and collegesColleges and universities; other education and 2 more
  • Colleges and universities$7.45 billion
  • Other education$3.70 billion
  • Scholarships and other education subsidies$1.73 billion
  • College housing, dining and bookstores$966 million
Roads, transit and parking
7.8%$5.51 billion
What's in roads, transit and parkingRoads and highways; ports and harbors and 3 more
  • Roads and highways$4.54 billion
  • Ports and harbors$862 million
  • Public transit$53.0 million
  • Toll roads and bridges$50.4 million
  • Airports$6.2 million
Running the government and other costs
7.0%$4.93 billion
What's in running the government and other costsOther and not broken out; central staff services (personnel, purchasing, technology) and 3 more
  • Other and not broken out$3.00 billion
  • Central staff services (personnel, purchasing, technology)$1.03 billion
  • Finance, tax collection and budgeting$761 million
  • Government buildings$88.7 million
  • Other government administration$47.7 million
Police, fire, courts and jails
6.0%$4.27 billion
What's in police, fire, courts and jailsPrisons and jails; inspections and regulation and 3 more
  • Prisons and jails$1.49 billion
  • Inspections and regulation$954 million
  • Police$672 million
  • Probation, parole and other corrections$575 million
  • Courts and legal services$575 million
Health and hospitals
4.2%$2.96 billion
What's in health and hospitalsHospitals and public health
  • Hospitals$1.53 billion
  • Public health$1.43 billion
Environment and natural resources
1.1%$766 million
What's in environment and natural resourcesNatural resources, farming and conservation
  • Natural resources, farming and conservation$766 million
Interest on debt
0.9%$631 million
Housing and community development
0.8%$595 million
Parks, recreation and libraries
0.4%$307 million
What's in parks, recreation and librariesParks and recreation and libraries
  • Parks and recreation$290 million
  • Libraries$16.8 million
Water, sewer, trash and utilities
<0.1%$26.4 million
What's in water, sewer, trash and utilitiesGarbage and solid waste and sewer systems
  • Garbage and solid waste$17.1 million
  • Sewer systems$9.3 million
Georgia page →

Your town

Muscogee County is served by a consolidated city-county government (Columbus Consolidated Government), so there is no separate county section.

Columbus Consolidated Government

$513 million budget in the latest fiscal year on record, which ended June 30, 2024.

Where the money comes from

City-county taxes30%County and local tax money27%Fees for services (sewer, water)24%Fines and other11%Federal tax money5.1%State tax money2.3%

What stands out

27%

of Columbus' money comes from county and other local tax money.A typical U.S. city of 50,000+ people gets 0.9%.

Full Columbus breakdown

City-county taxes30%

Property tax
17%$106 million
Other taxes
13%$78.1 million
What's in other taxesOccupation and business licenses; public utility taxes and 6 more
  • Occupation and business licenses$23.4 million
  • Public utility taxes$20.2 million
  • Insurance premium taxes$18.4 million
  • Other selective sales taxes$8.0 million
  • Alcoholic beverage taxes$3.6 million
  • Other licenses$2.3 million
  • Alcoholic beverage licenses$1.2 million
  • Other taxes not classified elsewhere$1.1 million

Amounts are by Census tax category.

Sales tax
<0.1%$251 thousand

Fees for services24%

Fees for services
24%$149 million
What's in fees for servicesSewer; water and 7 more
  • Sewer$38.9 million
  • Water$37.7 million
  • Other service charges$31.4 million
  • Garbage collection$14.0 million
  • Parks, land and natural resources$11.0 million
  • Parks and recreation$7.1 million
  • Airport$6.6 million
  • Road charges$1.4 million
  • Transit fares$841 thousand

Amounts are by Census type of charge.

Federal tax money5.1%

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

From the federal government
5.1%$31.2 million

State tax money2.3%

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

From the state
2.3%$14.2 million

County and local tax money27%

Money passed on by the county or other local governments.

From the county and other local governments
27%$163 million

Fines and other11%

Interest, rents and other
11%$65.0 million
Fines
0.9%$5.2 million
Columbus page →

Where the money goes

Police, fire, courts and jails33%Running the government and other costs32%Water, sewer, trash and utilities14%Roads, transit and parking11%Parks, recreation and libraries3.3%All other spending7.6%

What stands out

32%

of Columbus' spending goes to running the government and other costs.A typical U.S. city of 50,000+ people spends 16%.

Full Columbus breakdown

Spending by category100%

Police, fire, courts and jails
33%$171 million
What's in police, fire, courts and jailsPolice; fire protection and 3 more
  • Police$68.1 million
  • Fire protection$41.5 million
  • Prisons and jails$35.9 million
  • Courts and legal services$23.9 million
  • Inspections and regulation$1.4 million
Running the government and other costs
32%$163 million
What's in running the government and other costsGovernment buildings; other and not broken out and 3 more
  • Government buildings$68.6 million
  • Other and not broken out$67.2 million
  • Finance, tax collection and budgeting$17.0 million
  • Central staff services (personnel, purchasing, technology)$9.8 million
  • Other government-run businesses$401 thousand
Water, sewer, trash and utilities
14%$69.4 million
What's in water, sewer, trash and utilitiesGarbage and solid waste; sewer systems and 1 more
  • Garbage and solid waste$33.9 million
  • Sewer systems$17.9 million
  • Water supply$17.7 million
Roads, transit and parking
11%$54.0 million
What's in roads, transit and parkingRoads and highways and airports
  • Roads and highways$45.9 million
  • Airports$8.1 million
Parks, recreation and libraries
3.3%$16.8 million
What's in parks, recreation and librariesParks and recreation
  • Parks and recreation$16.8 million
Interest on debt
3.1%$15.7 million
What's in interest on debtInterest on general debt and interest on water supply debt
  • Interest on general debt$11.3 million
  • Interest on water supply debt$4.4 million
Sent to other local governments
1.8%$9.1 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$9.1 million
Health and hospitals
1.4%$7.4 million
What's in health and hospitalsPublic health
  • Public health$7.4 million
Housing and community development
1.2%$5.9 million
Social services
0.2%$863 thousand
What's in social servicesOther public welfare
  • Other public welfare$863 thousand
Environment and natural resources
<0.1%$61 thousand
What's in environment and natural resourcesNatural resources, farming and conservation
  • Natural resources, farming and conservation$61 thousand
Columbus page →

Your schools

Muscogee County School District

$549 million budget in the latest fiscal year on record, which ended June 30, 2024.

Where the money comes from

State tax money59%School district taxes32%Fines and other5.5%County and local tax money1.9%Fees for services (school lunches, school tuition and transportation)1.4%Federal tax money0.3%
Full Muscogee County School District breakdown

What stands out

8.9%

of Muscogee County School District's money comes from sales tax.Most school districts with 25,000+ students get none.

School district taxes32%

Property tax
23%$130 million
Sales tax
8.9%$50.2 million

Fees for services1.4%

Fees for services
1.4%$7.8 million
What's in fees for servicesOther school charges; school lunches and 1 more
  • Other school charges$5.5 million
  • School lunches$1.9 million
  • School tuition and transportation$460 thousand

Amounts are by Census type of charge.

Federal tax money0.3%

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

From the federal government
0.3%$2.0 million

State tax money59%

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

From the state
59%$332 million

County and local tax money1.9%

Money passed on by the county or other local governments.

From the county and other local governments
1.9%$10.9 million

Fines and other5.5%

Interest, rents and other
5.5%$30.8 million
Muscogee County School District page →

Where the money goes

Schools and colleges100%Interest on debt0.3%
Full Muscogee County School District breakdown

Spending by category100%

Schools and colleges
100%$547 million
What's in schools and collegesElementary and secondary schools
  • Elementary and secondary schools$547 million
Interest on debt
0.3%$1.8 million
Muscogee County School District page →
Sources and moreEach government's source, fiscal year and how a ZIP is matched

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

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

Muscogee County School District. 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.