Local Governments
Industry Profile Report
Dive Deep into the industry with a 25+ page industry report (pdf format) including the following chapters
Industry Overview Current Conditions, Industry Structure, How Firms Operate, Industry Trends, Credit Underwriting & Risks, and Industry Forecast.
Call Preparation Call Prep Questions, Industry Terms, and Weblinks.
Financial Insights Working Capital, Capital Financing, Business Valuation, and Financial Benchmarks.
Industry Profile Excerpts
Industry Overview
The 90,000 local government entities in the US include counties, municipalities, towns and townships, as well as special purpose entities, such as special districts and independent school districts. Local governments generate revenue from taxes, intergovernmental funding, and fees for services provided. They use this revenue to fund the delivery of services for education, health, police protection, highways, public welfare, sewerage, solid waste disposal, parks and recreation, utilities, housing, and government administration.
Dependence On Property Taxes
Taxes are the largest revenue source for local governments and property taxes account for about 72% of tax revenues.
Spending Mandates
Local governments are often required to spend money to comply with federal and state mandates, even when those mandates are unfunded.
Industry size & Structure
The average local government entity employs about 160 workers and generates $26-27 million in annual revenue.
- There are about 90,000 local government entities in the US with over 14.5 million employees and $2.4 trillion in annual revenue.
- Local government includes counties, municipalities, towns and townships, as well as special purpose entities, such as special revenue districts and independent school districts.
- General purpose entities include 3,031 county governments, 19,495 municipal governments, and 16,253 town and township governments.
- There are 38,542 special districts in the US, such as fire protection districts, public housing authorities, and irrigation management entities.
- There are 12,754 independent school districts. These do not include school districts run by state, county, municipal, or town governments.
- The largest city governments in the US, based on population, are New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, San Jose and Washington, DC.
- The largest county governments, based on population, are: Los Angeles County, CA: Cook County, IL; Harris County, TX; Maricopa County, AZ; and San Diego County, CA.
Industry Forecast
Local Governments Industry Growth
Recent Developments
Aug 18, 2024 - Property Taxes Remain Primary Revenue Source
- Property taxes remain by far the most important source of local revenue in the US, generating about 72% of local tax collections, according to The Tax Foundation, but state and local policymakers regularly search for other revenue sources that could potentially reduce the property tax burden. Local income taxes are authorized in 16 states and the District of Columbia. They account for more than 20% of local tax collections in Kentucky, Maryland, and Ohio. Local sales taxes are imposed by 36 states and the District of Columbia. They constitute more than 40% of local tax collections in Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, and New Mexico. Localities in only seven states, mostly in New England, do not impose either local income taxes or local sales taxes.
- Data breaches in the US increased 15% year over year in 2023, according to the credit bureau TransUnion. Data breaches, which often exposed consumers’ personal data including Social Security numbers and driver’s license numbers, also led to an increased risk of fraud against government agencies like business registrars, motor vehicle agencies, unemployment insurance programs, and more, according to TransUnion. The data breaches may result in improper payments and potential loss of access to public benefits for rightful constituents through identity theft and synthetic identity fraud, TransUnion researchers said. Synthetic identity fraud, which involves combining real and fake information to create new identities, is increasing, according to TransUnion.
- The total amount of office space vacated since 2019 surpasses the amount vacated during the dot-com bubble and dwarfs that of the global financial crisis of 2007-08, according to real estate analysis firm Green Street. Lower office occupancy rates may result in lower tax revenues for local governments. Available office space was about 25% of existing supply at the end of 2023, both historic highs. Prior recoveries in US office occupancy have been mostly “V-shaped” in nature - a sharp rebound from a big decrease. This cycle is likely to play out differently, however, as it will take a lot more new jobs to generate the same level of office demand as in the past because remote work will act as a long-term headwind on office demand, according to Green Street.
- Local government employment has rebounded from pandemic-era lows and remained above pre-pandemic levels in mid-2024, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. Local government revenue is forecast to grow at a 3.75% compounded annual rate from 2024 to 2028, slower than the growth of the overall economy, according to Inforum and the Interindustry Economic Research Fund, Inc. State and Local Government spending increased 5.1% year over year and 1.5% quarter over quarter during the fourth quarter of 2023, according to the US Bureau of Economic Analysis.The primary revenue sources for local governments are taxes, federal and state funding, and fees charged for services.
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