While you might not always see them, the scale of municipal services is staggering, as U.S. local governments alone spent a monumental $2.1 trillion in 2022 to power our communities.
Key Takeaways
- In 2022, U.S. local governments spent $2.1 trillion on municipal services including education, utilities, and public works
- Municipal property tax revenue totaled $539 billion in 2021 across all U.S. local governments
- Sales tax collections by municipalities reached $147 billion in fiscal year 2022
- Total municipal expenditures on public welfare reached $145 billion in 2022
- Education spending by local governments was $812 billion in fiscal 2022
- Highways and streets maintenance cost municipalities $98 billion annually in 2021
- Total full-time equivalent employees in U.S. local governments numbered 14.1 million in 2022
- Municipal police officers employed totaled 463,000 full-time in 2022
- Firefighters in local governments: 1,014,000 total personnel in 2021
- U.S. municipalities served 223 million residents with water services in 2022
- Average daily water use per capita in cities: 88 gallons in 2021
- 95% of U.S. population covered by municipal wastewater treatment in 2022
- Total road lane-miles under local control: 3.8 million in 2022
- Municipal bridges: 205,000 structurally deficient in 2021
- Water mains length: 2.2 million miles nationwide 2022
American local governments provide essential services funded by taxes and fees that support millions of residents daily.
Budget and Revenue
1In 2022, U.S. local governments spent $2.1 trillion on municipal services including education, utilities, and public works
Verified2Municipal property tax revenue totaled $539 billion in 2021 across all U.S. local governments
Verified3Sales tax collections by municipalities reached $147 billion in fiscal year 2022
Verified4Average municipal general fund revenue per capita was $3,456 in 2021 for cities over 100,000 population
Directional5Intergovernmental revenue from state sources accounted for 28% of local government total revenue in 2022
Single source6Utility enterprise revenue for water and sewer services generated $78 billion in 2021
Verified7Municipal bond issuance for infrastructure reached $417 billion in 2022
Verified8Pension contributions by local governments totaled $112 billion in fiscal 2022
Verified9Local sales tax rates averaged 2.1% in U.S. municipalities in 2023
Directional10Grants from federal sources to municipalities increased 15% to $210 billion in 2022
Single source11Average municipal debt per capita stood at $2,800 for large cities in 2022
Verified12Property tax levies grew 4.2% year-over-year to $582 billion in 2022
Verified13Charges for services contributed 22% of local revenues, equaling $404 billion in 2021
Verified14Municipal income tax revenue was $38 billion in cities with such taxes in 2022
Directional15Total local government revenue reached $2.3 trillion in 2022
Single source16User fees for recreation services generated $12.5 billion annually in 2021
Verified17Hotel occupancy taxes yielded $8.7 billion for municipalities in 2022
Verified18Franchise fees from utilities provided $25 billion to local coffers in 2021
Verified19Impact fees for development totaled $7.2 billion in 2022
Directional20Local option sales taxes added $45 billion to municipal revenues in 2023
Single sourceBudget and Revenue Interpretation
In total, America's cities are a $2 trillion-plus enterprise funded by a remarkably diverse, often ingenious, and sometimes precarious mix of property owners' payments, utility charges, state aid, visitor taxes, and borrowed future dollars, all to keep the lights on, the streets paved, and the schools running.
Employment and Workforce
1Total full-time equivalent employees in U.S. local governments numbered 14.1 million in 2022
Verified2Municipal police officers employed totaled 463,000 full-time in 2022
Verified3Firefighters in local governments: 1,014,000 total personnel in 2021
Verified4Average municipal employee salary was $65,400 in 2022 for cities over 50,000 pop
Directional5Local government education sector employed 7.8 million in 2022
Single source6Public works employees numbered 1.2 million in municipalities in 2021
Verified7Turnover rate for municipal workers averaged 12.5% in 2022
Verified828% of municipal employees are over age 55 in 2023 surveys
Verified9Diversity: 25% of local government executives are women in 2022
Directional10Average pensions for retired municipal workers: $45,000 annually in 2021
Single source11Training hours per employee averaged 40 annually in large cities 2022
Verified12Unionized municipal workforce covers 43% of employees in 2022
Verified13Part-time local government employees: 3.4 million in 2022
Verified14Average benefits cost per employee: $22,000 in 2022
Directional15Vacancy rates in municipal police departments: 10.2% in 2023
Single source16Sanitation workers: 145,000 full-time in U.S. cities 2021
Verified17Administrative staff in municipalities: 2.1 million FTEs 2022
Verified18Remote work adoption: 15% of municipal jobs in 2023
Verified19Overtime pay for public safety: $12 billion total 2022
Directional20Librarians employed by locals: 142,000 in 2021
Single source21IT specialists in government: 250,000 in municipalities 2022
Verified22Average tenure for city managers: 6.8 years in 2023
Verified23Emergency medical technicians: 850,000 in local services 2022
Verified24Water utility operators: 48,000 certified in 2021
Directional25Planners in municipal planning depts: 18,000 in 2022
Single sourceEmployment and Workforce Interpretation
Behind the 14.1 million faces making your town run—from librarians and sanitation crews to firefighters and IT staff—lies a complex and aging machine that is simultaneously dedicated, understaffed, cautiously modernizing, and worrying about who will fill its shoes.
Expenditure and Spending
1Total municipal expenditures on public welfare reached $145 billion in 2022
Verified2Education spending by local governments was $812 billion in fiscal 2022
Verified3Highways and streets maintenance cost municipalities $98 billion annually in 2021
Verified4Police protection expenditures totaled $138 billion for local governments in 2022
Directional5Fire protection spending by municipalities was $52 billion in 2022
Single source6Sewerage system operations cost $64 billion in 2021
Verified7Solid waste management expenditures reached $28 billion for U.S. municipalities in 2022
Verified8Parks and recreation spending averaged $1,200 per capita in large cities in 2022
Verified9Health and hospitals expenditures by locals were $112 billion in 2021
Directional10Housing and community development spending totaled $42 billion in 2022
Single source11Judicial and legal expenditures for municipalities were $22 billion in 2022
Verified12Financial administration costs averaged 5% of budgets, $115 billion total in 2021
Verified13Public utilities spending (electricity, gas) was $156 billion in enterprise funds 2022
Verified14Debt service payments by local governments reached $98 billion in 2022
Directional15Capital outlay for infrastructure was $248 billion in 2021
Single source16Employee benefits costs consumed 32% of payroll, $210 billion in 2022
Verified17Transit subsidies by municipalities totaled $18 billion in 2022
Verified18Libraries operating expenditures were $14 billion in 2021
Verified19Airports managed by municipalities spent $22 billion on operations in 2022
Directional20Water supply expenditures totaled $52 billion for local utilities in 2021
Single source21Employee retirement contributions were $120 billion in 2022
VerifiedExpenditure and Spending Interpretation
While we spend more than twice as much keeping our streets smooth ($98 billion) as we do keeping our citizens housed ($42 billion), it seems our municipal checkbook reveals a nation that is meticulously paved, judicially processed, and generously pensioned, yet still wrestling with the fundamental price tags of care, equity, and well-being.
Infrastructure and Assets
1Total road lane-miles under local control: 3.8 million in 2022
Verified2Municipal bridges: 205,000 structurally deficient in 2021
Verified3Water mains length: 2.2 million miles nationwide 2022
Verified4Wastewater pipes: 800,000 miles needing replacement 2021
Directional5Average age of municipal water infrastructure: 45 years in 2022
Single source6Storm sewers: 1 million miles in U.S. municipalities 2021
Verified7Public parking spaces: 75 million managed by locals 2022
Verified8Municipal dams: 91,000 owned by local governments 2021
Verified9LED streetlight conversions: 50% of 50 million fixtures by 2023
Directional10EV charging stations in cities: 45,000 public in 2022
Single source11Bike lanes added: 2,500 miles annually 2021
Verified12Playground replacements: 1,200 per year in parks 2022
Verified13Wastewater treatment plants: 16,000 operated by municipalities 2021
Verified14Landfills owned by locals: 1,900 active sites 2022
Directional15Airport runways municipal: 15,000 miles total 2021
Single source16Harbor facilities: 300 major ports managed locally 2022
Verified17Fiber optic networks municipal: 25,000 miles deployed 2023
Verified18Solar panels on public buildings: 500 MW capacity 2022
Verified19Flood control structures: 4,000 levees maintained 2021
Directional20Traffic cameras: 100,000 installed in cities 2022
Single source21Skate parks: 2,200 nationwide in municipal parks 2021
Verified22WiFi hotspots public: 50,000 in municipalities 2023
Verified23Sewage pumping stations: 25,000 operational 2022
Verified24Athletic fields: 120,000 maintained by rec depts 2021
Directional25Median bridge age: 50 years for local structures 2022
Single source26Potable water storage tanks: 170,000 nationwide 2021
VerifiedInfrastructure and Assets Interpretation
Beneath the flicker of our new LED streetlights and the quiet hum of EV chargers, the aging arteries of this nation are hardening, reminding us that you can't build a 21st-century future on a 20th-century spine that's already halfway to retirement.
Service Delivery Metrics
1U.S. municipalities served 223 million residents with water services in 2022
Verified2Average daily water use per capita in cities: 88 gallons in 2021
Verified395% of U.S. population covered by municipal wastewater treatment in 2022
Verified4Municipal recycling rates averaged 32% of MSW in 2021
Directional5Police response time average: 10.5 minutes for priority 1 calls in large cities 2022
Single source6Fire department response time: 4.8 minutes average nationwide 2021
Verified7Public transit ridership in municipal systems: 9.9 billion trips in 2022
Verified8Street paving: 12,000 lane-miles resurfaced annually by cities 2021
Verified9Park acreage per 1,000 residents: 10.1 acres average in 2022
Directional10Library visits: 1.3 billion annually pre-pandemic baseline 2019
Single source11911 calls handled: 240 million in U.S. local systems 2022
Verified12Solid waste collection: 292 million tons MSW managed by locals 2021
Verified13Building permits issued: 1.4 million residential in municipal jurisdictions 2022
Verified14Animal control calls responded to: 7.5 million annually 2021
Directional15Vaccination rates in municipal clinics: 75% for routine shots 2022
Single source16Pothole repairs: average 5,200 per large city annually 2022
Verified17Bus fleet size: 65,000 vehicles in municipal transit 2022
Verified18Stormwater management projects: 4,200 completed in 2021
Verified19Senior center participants: 10 million served annually 2022
Directional20Code enforcement violations resolved: 2.8 million in 2021
Single source21Municipal broadband subscribers: 5 million in community networks 2023
Verified22Farmers markets supported: 8,140 by local govs in 2022
Verified23Youth programs enrolled: 15 million in rec depts 2021
Verified24Traffic signals managed: 300,000 nationwide 2022
Directional25Municipal miles of roads maintained: 2.1 million 2021
Single source26Miles of sidewalks: 1.2 million maintained by cities 2022
VerifiedService Delivery Metrics Interpretation
While we each splash through 88 daily gallons, dodge potholes, and wait for the bus, an intricate, often unseen municipal machine quietly ensures 223 million of us are watered, safe, answered in 10.5 minutes, connected, and—despite our best efforts with only a 32% recycling rate—hauled away.
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