ZIP 46777 · Jefferson Township, IN

Five governments run on your community's money

This page shows every government that serves ZIP 46777: the state, county, city or town and school district, and where each one's money comes from and goes.

Each government is shown for its own newest fiscal year on file, so the years differ. Figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau's Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, the government's own report or, for Indiana governments, the Indiana Department of Local Government Finance, as named under Sources and more.

Where do my taxes go in 46777?
46777 is served by the State of Indiana, Wells County, Northern Wells County Community School District, Jefferson Township and Lancaster Township. In each one's latest recorded fiscal year, State of Indiana spent $57.7 billion (fiscal year ended June 30, 2024), Wells County spent $20.6 million (fiscal year ended December 31, 2021), Northern Wells County Community School District spent $45.0 million (fiscal year ended June 30, 2024), Jefferson Township spent $265 thousand (fiscal year ended December 31, 2025) and Lancaster Township spent $527 thousand (fiscal year ended December 31, 2025). Each government's money is separate.

Which governments collect property tax in 46777?
Of the governments serving 46777, State of Indiana collected $15.3 million (fiscal year ended June 30, 2024), Northern Wells County Community School District collected $9.6 million (fiscal year ended June 30, 2024), Wells County collected $3.9 million (fiscal year ended December 31, 2021), Jefferson Township collected $100 thousand (fiscal year ended December 31, 2025) and Lancaster Township collected $46 thousand (fiscal year ended December 31, 2025) in property tax. These are each government's total collections, not a bill for 46777.

See another ZIP code

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

See the full budget for: Wells County, Jefferson Township, Lancaster Township and Northern Wells County Community School District

Why not this year? Indiana governments with newer filings show figures from the Indiana Department of Local Government Finance (for 2025). Each other figure is the newest year the U.S. Census Bureau has published for that government, so the years differ and are not the current year. Most governments post their current budget on their own website.

Where property tax goes in 46777

State of Indiana$15.3 million

<0.1% of its $57.5 billion in revenue · fiscal year ended June 30, 2024

Northern Wells County Community School District$9.6 million

29% of its $33.0 million in revenue · fiscal year ended June 30, 2024

Wells County$3.9 million

12% of its $33.6 million in revenue · fiscal year ended December 31, 2021

Jefferson Township$100 thousand

32% of its $308 thousand in revenue · fiscal year ended December 31, 2025

Lancaster Township$46 thousand

22% of its $211 thousand in revenue · fiscal year ended December 31, 2025

These are each government's total property tax collections, not your bill. Your own bill is split by each government's tax rate, shown on your property tax bill.

Your county

Wells County

$20.6 million budget in the latest fiscal year on record, which ended December 31, 2021.

About 92% of this ZIP is in Wells County.

Where the money comes from

State tax money74%County taxes13%Fines and other9.5%Fees for services (sewer)2.0%Local tax money1.5%

What stands out

74%

of Wells County's money comes from state tax money.A typical U.S. county of under 50,000 people gets 23%.

Full Wells County breakdown

County taxes13%

Property tax
12%$3.9 million
Other taxes
1.8%$615 thousand
What's in other taxesPublic utility taxes and other licenses
  • Public utility taxes$444 thousand
  • Other licenses$171 thousand

Amounts are by Census tax category.

Fees for services2.0%

Fees for services
2.0%$687 thousand
What's in fees for servicesOther service charges and sewer
  • Other service charges$685 thousand
  • Sewer$2 thousand

Amounts are by Census type of charge.

Federal tax money<0.1%

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

From the federal government
<0.1%$12 thousand

State tax money74%

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

From the state
74%$24.7 million

Local tax money1.5%

Money passed on by the county or other local governments.

From other local governments
1.5%$502 thousand

Fines and other9.5%

Interest, rents and other
9.5%$3.2 million
Fines
<0.1%$28 thousand
Wells County page →

Where the money goes

Police, fire, courts and jails41%Running the government and other costs34%Roads, transit and parking19%Water, sewer, trash and utilities2.4%Health and hospitals2.2%All other spending1.4%

What stands out

41%

of Wells County's spending goes to police, fire, courts and jails.A typical U.S. county of under 50,000 people spends 20%.

Full Wells County breakdown

Spending by category100%

Police, fire, courts and jails
41%$8.5 million
What's in police, fire, courts and jailsPolice; prisons and jails and 2 more
  • Police$3.4 million
  • Prisons and jails$3.1 million
  • Courts and legal services$1.9 million
  • Probation, parole and other corrections$108 thousand
Running the government and other costs
34%$7.0 million
What's in running the government and other costsCentral staff services (personnel, purchasing, technology); other and not broken out and 2 more
  • Central staff services (personnel, purchasing, technology)$3.4 million
  • Other and not broken out$2.5 million
  • Finance, tax collection and budgeting$930 thousand
  • Other government-run businesses$66 thousand
Roads, transit and parking
19%$3.9 million
What's in roads, transit and parkingRoads and highways
  • Roads and highways$3.9 million
Water, sewer, trash and utilities
2.4%$492 thousand
What's in water, sewer, trash and utilitiesGarbage and solid waste and sewer systems
  • Garbage and solid waste$443 thousand
  • Sewer systems$49 thousand
Health and hospitals
2.2%$446 thousand
What's in health and hospitalsPublic health
  • Public health$446 thousand
Environment and natural resources
1.3%$258 thousand
What's in environment and natural resourcesNatural resources, farming and conservation
  • Natural resources, farming and conservation$258 thousand
Sent to other local governments
0.1%$27 thousand
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$27 thousand
Interest on debt
<0.1%$6 thousand
Wells County page →

Your towns

Jefferson Township

$265 thousand budget in fiscal year 2025 (ended December 31, 2025), from the Indiana Department of Local Government Finance.

About 74% of this ZIP is in Jefferson Township.

Where the money comes from

Township taxes95%Fines and other4.6%
Full Jefferson Township breakdown

Township taxes95%

Other taxes
33%$102 thousand
Property tax
32%$100 thousand
Local income tax
30%$92 thousand

State tax money<0.1%

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

From the state
<0.1%$33

Fines and other4.6%

Interest, rents and other
4.6%$14 thousand
Jefferson Township page →

Where the money goes

Police, fire, courts and jails48%Running the government and other costs26%Debt payments (principal and interest)20%Social services6.2%
Full Jefferson Township breakdown

Spending by category100%

Police, fire, courts and jails
48%$126 thousand
Running the government and other costs
26%$70 thousand
Debt payments (principal and interest)
20%$53 thousand
Social services
6.2%$16 thousand
Jefferson Township page →

Lancaster Township

$527 thousand budget in fiscal year 2025 (ended December 31, 2025), from the Indiana Department of Local Government Finance.

About 13% of this ZIP is in Lancaster Township.

Where the money comes from

Township taxes84%Fines and other16%
Full Lancaster Township breakdown

Township taxes84%

Local income tax
60%$127 thousand
Property tax
22%$46 thousand
Other taxes
2.1%$5 thousand

State tax money<0.1%

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

From the state
<0.1%$102

Fines and other16%

Interest, rents and other
16%$33 thousand
Lancaster Township page →

Where the money goes

Running the government and other costs86%Social services14%
Full Lancaster Township breakdown

Spending by category100%

Running the government and other costs
86%$456 thousand
Social services
14%$71 thousand
Lancaster Township page →

Your schools

Northern Wells County Community School District

$45.0 million budget in the latest fiscal year on record, which ended June 30, 2024.

About 92% of this ZIP is in Northern Wells County Community School District.

Where the money comes from

State tax money60%School district taxes29%Fines and other4.6%County and local tax money3.7%Fees for services (school lunches, school tuition and transportation)3.0%
Full Northern Wells County Community School District breakdown

School district taxes29%

Property tax
29%$9.6 million

Fees for services3.0%

Fees for services
3.0%$1.0 million
What's in fees for servicesSchool lunches; other school charges and 1 more
  • School lunches$684 thousand
  • Other school charges$229 thousand
  • School tuition and transportation$92 thousand

Amounts are by Census type of charge.

State tax money60%

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

From the state
60%$19.6 million

County and local tax money3.7%

Money passed on by the county or other local governments.

From the county and other local governments
3.7%$1.2 million

Fines and other4.6%

Interest, rents and other
4.6%$1.5 million
Northern Wells County Community School District page →

Where the money goes

Schools and colleges94%Interest on debt5.4%Sent to other local governments1.0%

What stands out

5.4%

of Northern Wells County Community School District's spending goes to interest on debt.A typical school district with fewer than 5,000 students spends 0.9%.

Full Northern Wells County Community School District breakdown

Spending by category100%

Schools and colleges
94%$42.1 million
What's in schools and collegesElementary and secondary schools
  • Elementary and secondary schools$42.1 million
Interest on debt
5.4%$2.4 million
Sent to other local governments
1.0%$464 thousand
What's in sent to other local governmentsSent to school districts
  • Sent to school districts$464 thousand
Northern Wells County Community School District page →

Your state

State of Indiana

$57.7 billion budget in the latest fiscal year on record, which ended June 30, 2024.

Where the money comes from

State taxes46%Federal tax money41%Fees for services (college tuition, university housing and dining)7.6%Fines and other5.1%Local tax money0.3%
Full Indiana breakdown

What stands out

19%

of Indiana's money comes from sales tax.A typical state government gets 14%.

State taxes46%

Sales tax
19%$11.0 billion
Local income tax
14%$8.10 billion
Other taxes
11%$6.38 billion
What's in other taxesOther selective sales taxes; motor fuel taxes and 14 more
  • Other selective sales taxes$2.13 billion
  • Motor fuel taxes$1.73 billion
  • Motor vehicle licenses$643 million
  • Amusement taxes$621 million
  • Tobacco taxes$340 million
  • Driver's licenses$293 million
  • Insurance premium taxes$273 million
  • Occupation and business licenses$142 million
  • Other licenses$57.4 million
  • Alcoholic beverage taxes$55.7 million
  • Hunting and fishing licenses$26.8 million
  • Public utility taxes$20.5 million
  • Alcoholic beverage licenses$17.4 million
  • Amusement licenses$15.3 million
  • Corporation licenses$12.6 million
  • Severance taxes$1.8 million

Amounts are by Census tax category.

Business income tax
1.7%$965 million
Property tax
<0.1%$15.3 million

Fees for services7.6%

Fees for services
7.6%$4.40 billion
What's in fees for servicesCollege tuition; university housing and dining and 9 more
  • College tuition$3.23 billion
  • University housing and dining$817 million
  • Other service charges$204 million
  • Parks, land and natural resources$66.6 million
  • Parks and recreation$48.0 million
  • Ports and waterways$23.8 million
  • Housing$7.6 million
  • Other education charges$5.7 million
  • Road charges$2.1 million
  • Hospital bills$177 thousand
  • Other school charges$1 thousand

Amounts are by Census type of charge.

Federal tax money41%

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

From the federal government
41%$23.6 billion

Local tax money0.3%

Money passed on by the county or other local governments.

From local governments
0.3%$172 million

Fines and other5.1%

Interest, rents and other
5.0%$2.90 billion
Fines
<0.1%$56.0 million
Indiana page →

Where the money goes

Social services40%Sent to local governments26%Schools and colleges16%Roads, transit and parking5.5%Running the government and other costs4.2%All other spending8.3%

What stands out

40%

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

Full Indiana breakdown

Spending by category100%

Social services
40%$23.1 billion
What's in social servicesOther public welfare; unemployment and social insurance offices and 2 more
  • Other public welfare$22.9 billion
  • Unemployment and social insurance offices$90.0 million
  • Welfare institutions$29.0 million
  • Veterans' services$18.6 million
Sent to local governments
26%$14.8 billion
What's in sent to local governmentsSent to school districts; sent to local governments: roads and highways and 18 more
  • Sent to school districts$11.4 billion
  • Sent to local governments: roads and highways$1.37 billion
  • Sent to local governments: general support$1.23 billion
  • Sent to local governments: other and not broken out$350 million
  • Sent to local governments: public health$116 million
  • Sent to local governments: probation, parole and other corrections$72.3 million
  • Sent to local governments: courts and legal services$61.3 million
  • Sent to local governments: housing and community development$53.4 million
  • Sent to local governments: other public welfare$47.1 million
  • Sent to local governments: police$30.6 million
  • Sent to local governments: natural resources, farming and conservation$15.2 million
  • Sent to local governments: prisons and jails$8.0 million
  • Sent to local governments: parks and recreation$7.4 million
  • Sent to local governments: sewer systems$3.9 million
  • Sent to local governments: inspections and regulation$3.8 million
  • Sent to local governments: other government administration$3.4 million
  • Sent to local governments: garbage and solid waste$2.8 million
  • Sent to local governments: libraries$1.4 million
  • Sent to the federal government$1.1 million
  • Sent to local governments: central staff services (personnel, purchasing, technology)$122 thousand
Schools and colleges
16%$9.47 billion
What's in schools and collegesColleges and universities; scholarships and other education subsidies and 2 more
  • Colleges and universities$6.72 billion
  • Scholarships and other education subsidies$1.21 billion
  • College housing, dining and bookstores$1.19 billion
  • Other education$358 million
Roads, transit and parking
5.5%$3.17 billion
What's in roads, transit and parkingRoads and highways; toll roads and bridges and 2 more
  • Roads and highways$2.97 billion
  • Toll roads and bridges$166 million
  • Ports and harbors$29.5 million
  • Airports$3.8 million
Running the government and other costs
4.2%$2.42 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$1.63 billion
  • Finance, tax collection and budgeting$451 million
  • Central staff services (personnel, purchasing, technology)$242 million
  • Other government administration$97.5 million
  • Government buildings$669 thousand
Police, fire, courts and jails
3.5%$2.00 billion
What's in police, fire, courts and jailsPrisons and jails; police and 3 more
  • Prisons and jails$1.06 billion
  • Police$508 million
  • Courts and legal services$284 million
  • Inspections and regulation$129 million
  • Probation, parole and other corrections$21.2 million
Health and hospitals
1.9%$1.11 billion
What's in health and hospitalsPublic health and hospitals
  • Public health$909 million
  • Hospitals$198 million
Housing and community development
1.2%$720 million
Environment and natural resources
1.0%$556 million
What's in environment and natural resourcesNatural resources, farming and conservation
  • Natural resources, farming and conservation$556 million
Interest on debt
0.5%$289 million
Parks, recreation and libraries
0.2%$94.3 million
What's in parks, recreation and librariesParks and recreation and libraries
  • Parks and recreation$82.4 million
  • Libraries$11.9 million
Water, sewer, trash and utilities
<0.1%$9.4 million
What's in water, sewer, trash and utilitiesGarbage and solid waste and sewer systems
  • Garbage and solid waste$7.2 million
  • Sewer systems$2.2 million
Indiana page →
Sources and moreEach government's source, fiscal year and how a ZIP is matched

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

Wells County. U.S. Census Bureau, 2022 Census of Governments, Finance, individual unit file, fiscal year ended December 31, 2021. The Census record for this government is from the 2022 survey, the newest on file.

Northern Wells County Community School District. U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, individual unit file, fiscal year ended June 30, 2024.

Jefferson Township. Indiana Department of Local Government Finance, Gateway, Annual Financial Report fiscal year 2025, fiscal year ended December 31, 2025. The earlier Census figures are from U.S. Census Bureau, 2022 Census of Governments, Finance, individual unit file, fiscal year ended December 31, 2021.

Lancaster Township. Indiana Department of Local Government Finance, Gateway, Annual Financial Report fiscal year 2025, fiscal year ended December 31, 2025. The earlier Census figures are from U.S. Census Bureau, 2022 Census of Governments, Finance, individual unit file, fiscal year ended December 31, 2021.

How these figures are counted. Revenue and spending are the Annual Financial Report figures that an Indiana government filed with the Indiana Department of Local Government Finance, grouped into the same categories as the Census figures. The report covers the government's general, special revenue, capital projects, debt service and enterprise funds (utilities, airports and the like). Borrowing, transfers between a government's own funds, internal service funds, payroll and clearing accounts, and money held for others (court and clerk accounts, property tax settlement, trusts) are not counted. The reports are self-reported and are not audited by the Department.

Cash basis. Indiana local governments report cash received and paid, so a year with a big construction project can show more spending than revenue.

Debt payments. Indiana's report lists the principal and interest paid on debt, so the "Debt payments" line includes principal as well as interest. The Census figures leave principal out, so spending can be higher than the Census figure for the same government.

Employee benefits are not a separate line here: the report sorts spending by fund and by department, so salaries and benefits sit inside each service. Capital outlay is counted under the service it paid for. Pension contributions are shown separately when the government pays them through its own police or fire pension fund.

Federal and state money. The report combines federal and state grants in one line, so the split between federal and state money is an estimate: federal money is the federal awards the government lists in its grants schedule, and the rest is shown as state money. Shared state taxes, such as the state's cigarette, alcohol and highway distributions, are state money. The local income tax is a tax residents pay, so it is shown as a tax. School corporations file for the calendar year.

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.