EMBARGOED UNTIL 10 A.M. EDT, MAY 29, 1997 (THURSDAY) Public Information Office CB97-90 301-457-3030/301-457-3670 (fax) 301-457-4067 (TDD) e-mail: pio@census.gov David Kellerman 301-457-1502 Local Government Revenues Surpass $720 Billion, Census Bureau Says Revenues of the nation's local governments reached $720 billion in 1994, according to tabulations on government revenues, expenditures, debts and assets released on the Internet today by the Commerce Department's Census Bureau. The major share of local revenue dollars was collected from taxes ($252 billion), state aid ($218 billion), user charges ($100 billion) and government operated utility sales ($63 billion). Other findings from the 1994 tabulations include: - Expenditures for local and state governments reached $1.3 trillion. - Expenditures for local governments were primarily for services such as education ($258 billion), hospitals ($37 billion), police ($33 billion), public welfare ($31 billion) and highways ($28 billion). - Local governments also had outstanding debt totaling $664 billion, interest payments on debt of nearly $40 billion and cash and security holdings of $640 billion. More than 35 separate categories of revenues (such as property taxes, income taxes, general sales taxes, interest earnings and park/recreation charges), and 50 categories of expenditures (such as police, fire, highways, higher education, elementary and secondary education and interest on debt) are provided in the tables for the United States, states and local governments. The tabulations from the "1994 Annual Survey of Government Finances" also provide figures on capital outlays, short versus long-term debt outstanding, utility spending and aid from the federal government. The Internet address for this information is http://www.census.gov/govs/www/index.html or call the Public Information Office on 301-457-3030 for a paper copy.-X-The Census Bureau--pre-eminent collector and provider of timely, relevant, and quality data about the people and economy of the United States. In over 100 surveys annually and 20 censuses a decade, evolving from the first census in 1790, the Census Bureau provides official information about America's people, businesses, industries and institutions.
