Public welfare
#1 SpendFY2024 · 43.1% of reported expenditures
Reported Dollars
$224,532,478,000
Review question: Are payment mistakes and slow applications keeping help from people who qualify?
Outcome unverified
Official Public DataCalifornia
California State Budget & Government Spending
FY2024 reported expenditures
Reported Expenditures$520.735B
DATAU.S. Census Bureau · FY2024
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Actual spending, in the overview
California’s FY2024 actual expenditure records are shown below. General services, utility operations and liquor-store spending reconcile to the reported expenditure total. Open a service to inspect its individual source items. Each function has an individual spending critique, proposed mechanism and success measure. Ratings follow linked program findings, comparable cost changes and source quality; missing outcomes do not establish either stability or failure. Proposed improvements protect eligible people and essential services. Open Details for the concrete issue, its scope, proposed solution and source-item breakdown. Use the year selector to inspect separately labeled historical records. The Enacted Budget tab separately shows the published FY2024–2025 plan; budgeted amounts are not actual expenditures. Read the status methodology →
California Actual Expenditures by Function
Actual Expenditure Ledger
FY2024 DATA0 Critical · 0 Leak · 3 Warning · 22 Outcome unverified · 0 Stable · 2 report $0
Individual spending analysis: Each entry has its own cost critique and proposed mechanism. Status follows linked program findings, comparable cost changes and source quality. Outcome unverified is neutral: accounts alone establish neither stability nor failure. Improvements must protect eligible people and essential services. Details explains the issue, evidence, remedy and success measure.
Education
FY2024 · 27.8% of reported expenditures
Reported Dollars
$144,957,013,000
Review question: Is school funding reaching students, or being absorbed by repeated office work and unused space?
Outcome unverified
Hospitals
FY2024 · 4.8% of reported expenditures
Reported Dollars
$25,154,977,000
Review question: Is hospital money paying for timely care, or for avoidable delays and repeat hospital stays?
Outcome unverified
Highways
FY2024 · 4.0% of reported expenditures
Reported Dollars
$20,834,650,000
Spending rose sharply; the reason needs checking
Warning
Other and unallocable
FY2024 · 3.5% of reported expenditures
Reported Dollars
$18,251,330,000
Review question: Does this broad “other” category make it impossible to see which services receive the money?
Outcome unverified
Corrections
FY2024 · 2.8% of reported expenditures
Reported Dollars
$14,762,669,000
Review question: Are prison costs driven by necessary care and safety, or by overtime and repeated returns to prison?
Outcome unverified
Natural resources
FY2024 · 2.5% of reported expenditures
Reported Dollars
$12,945,840,000
Review question: Are conservation projects lasting, or does the government keep paying to repeat failed work?
Outcome unverified
Health
FY2024 · 2.4% of reported expenditures
Reported Dollars
$12,285,756,000
Review question: Are people getting affordable prevention and follow-up care before illness becomes more serious?
Outcome unverified
Financial administration
FY2024 · 1.5% of reported expenditures
Reported Dollars
$7,885,676,000
Review question: Are repeated forms, manual checks and unresolved payment errors making routine government work expensive?
Outcome unverified
Protective inspection and regulation
FY2024 · 1.3% of reported expenditures
Reported Dollars
$6,799,001,000
Review question: Are serious safety hazards waiting while inspectors repeat low-risk visits and paperwork?
Outcome unverified
Judicial and legal services
FY2024 · 1.3% of reported expenditures
Reported Dollars
$6,584,751,000
Review question: Are court delays making people wait while paperwork and legal costs keep growing?
Outcome unverified
Interest on general debt
FY2024 · 1.0% of reported expenditures
Reported Dollars
$5,387,747,000
Review question: How much public money is going to interest on past borrowing instead of today’s services?
Outcome unverified
General local government support
FY2024 · 0.8% of reported expenditures
Reported Dollars
$3,917,334,000
Review question: After the state sends money to local governments, can residents see which services it pays for?
Outcome unverified
Housing and community development
FY2024 · 0.7% of reported expenditures
Reported Dollars
$3,424,097,000
Homelessness programs cannot demonstrate cost-effectiveness consistently
Warning
Police protection
FY2024 · 0.6% of reported expenditures
Reported Dollars
$3,274,610,000
Review question: Are overtime and equipment bills improving emergency response, or adding costs without better coverage?
Outcome unverified
Government administration and buildings
FY2024 · 0.5% of reported expenditures
Reported Dollars
$2,561,568,000
Review question: Are duplicate offices, empty buildings or expensive purchasing taking money away from public services?
Outcome unverified
Solid waste management
FY2024 · 0.4% of reported expenditures
Reported Dollars
$1,917,715,000
Review question: Are poor collection routes, missed pickups or incorrect disposal bills making trash services expensive?
Outcome unverified
Utilities
FY2024 · 0.3% of reported expenditures
Reported Dollars
$1,768,764,000
Review question: Are rising utility bills paying for reliable service, or for water, energy and equipment losses?
Outcome unverified
Sewerage
FY2024 · 0.3% of reported expenditures
Reported Dollars
$1,668,209,000
Review question: Are pipe failures and inefficient equipment causing repeat costs, sewage spills or unsafe treatment?
Outcome unverified
Parks and recreation
FY2024 · 0.2% of reported expenditures
Reported Dollars
$1,064,010,000
Review question: Are new parks being built while existing facilities remain closed, unsafe or poorly maintained?
Outcome unverified
Libraries
FY2024 · 0.1% of reported expenditures
Reported Dollars
$710,300,000
Spending rose sharply; the reason needs checking
Warning
Veterans' services
FY2024 · 0.0% of reported expenditures
Reported Dollars
$22,832,000
Review question: Are veterans waiting for care or benefits because referrals and claims keep changing hands?
Outcome unverified
Air transportation
FY2024 · 0.0% of reported expenditures
Reported Dollars
$9,178,000
Review question: Are airport projects creating useful capacity, or expensive facilities that few people use?
Outcome unverified
Miscellaneous commercial activities
FY2024 · 0.0% of reported expenditures
Reported Dollars
$8,322,000
Review question: Is a government-run business meeting a public need at a cost residents can see?
Outcome unverified
Parking facilities
FY2024 · 0.0% of reported expenditures
Reported Dollars
$6,130,000
Review question: Are collection fees and repairs using up parking revenue while spaces remain unusable?
Outcome unverified
Liquor stores
FY2024 · 0.0% of reported expenditures
Reported Dollars
$0
No spending is reported for this item
No reported spending
Sea and inland port facilities
FY2024 · 0.0% of reported expenditures
Reported Dollars
$0
No spending is reported for this item
No reported spending
| Function | Reported Dollars | Status | Action |
|---|---|---|---|
Public welfare #1 SpendFY2024 · 43.1% of reported expenditures | $224,532,478,000 | Outcome unverified Review question: Are payment mistakes and slow applications keeping help from people who qualify? | |
Education FY2024 · 27.8% of reported expenditures | $144,957,013,000 | Outcome unverified Review question: Is school funding reaching students, or being absorbed by repeated office work and unused space? | |
Hospitals FY2024 · 4.8% of reported expenditures | $25,154,977,000 | Outcome unverified Review question: Is hospital money paying for timely care, or for avoidable delays and repeat hospital stays? | |
Highways FY2024 · 4.0% of reported expenditures | $20,834,650,000 | Warning Spending rose sharply; the reason needs checking | |
Other and unallocable FY2024 · 3.5% of reported expenditures | $18,251,330,000 | Outcome unverified Review question: Does this broad “other” category make it impossible to see which services receive the money? | |
Corrections FY2024 · 2.8% of reported expenditures | $14,762,669,000 | Outcome unverified Review question: Are prison costs driven by necessary care and safety, or by overtime and repeated returns to prison? | |
Natural resources FY2024 · 2.5% of reported expenditures | $12,945,840,000 | Outcome unverified Review question: Are conservation projects lasting, or does the government keep paying to repeat failed work? | |
Health FY2024 · 2.4% of reported expenditures | $12,285,756,000 | Outcome unverified Review question: Are people getting affordable prevention and follow-up care before illness becomes more serious? | |
Financial administration FY2024 · 1.5% of reported expenditures | $7,885,676,000 | Outcome unverified Review question: Are repeated forms, manual checks and unresolved payment errors making routine government work expensive? | |
Protective inspection and regulation FY2024 · 1.3% of reported expenditures | $6,799,001,000 | Outcome unverified Review question: Are serious safety hazards waiting while inspectors repeat low-risk visits and paperwork? | |
Judicial and legal services FY2024 · 1.3% of reported expenditures | $6,584,751,000 | Outcome unverified Review question: Are court delays making people wait while paperwork and legal costs keep growing? | |
Interest on general debt FY2024 · 1.0% of reported expenditures | $5,387,747,000 | Outcome unverified Review question: How much public money is going to interest on past borrowing instead of today’s services? | |
General local government support FY2024 · 0.8% of reported expenditures | $3,917,334,000 | Outcome unverified Review question: After the state sends money to local governments, can residents see which services it pays for? | |
Housing and community development FY2024 · 0.7% of reported expenditures | $3,424,097,000 | Warning Homelessness programs cannot demonstrate cost-effectiveness consistently | |
Police protection FY2024 · 0.6% of reported expenditures | $3,274,610,000 | Outcome unverified Review question: Are overtime and equipment bills improving emergency response, or adding costs without better coverage? | |
Government administration and buildings FY2024 · 0.5% of reported expenditures | $2,561,568,000 | Outcome unverified Review question: Are duplicate offices, empty buildings or expensive purchasing taking money away from public services? | |
Solid waste management FY2024 · 0.4% of reported expenditures | $1,917,715,000 | Outcome unverified Review question: Are poor collection routes, missed pickups or incorrect disposal bills making trash services expensive? | |
Utilities FY2024 · 0.3% of reported expenditures | $1,768,764,000 | Outcome unverified Review question: Are rising utility bills paying for reliable service, or for water, energy and equipment losses? | |
Sewerage FY2024 · 0.3% of reported expenditures | $1,668,209,000 | Outcome unverified Review question: Are pipe failures and inefficient equipment causing repeat costs, sewage spills or unsafe treatment? | |
Parks and recreation FY2024 · 0.2% of reported expenditures | $1,064,010,000 | Outcome unverified Review question: Are new parks being built while existing facilities remain closed, unsafe or poorly maintained? | |
Libraries FY2024 · 0.1% of reported expenditures | $710,300,000 | Warning Spending rose sharply; the reason needs checking | |
Veterans' services FY2024 · 0.0% of reported expenditures | $22,832,000 | Outcome unverified Review question: Are veterans waiting for care or benefits because referrals and claims keep changing hands? | |
Air transportation FY2024 · 0.0% of reported expenditures | $9,178,000 | Outcome unverified Review question: Are airport projects creating useful capacity, or expensive facilities that few people use? | |
Miscellaneous commercial activities FY2024 · 0.0% of reported expenditures | $8,322,000 | Outcome unverified Review question: Is a government-run business meeting a public need at a cost residents can see? | |
Parking facilities FY2024 · 0.0% of reported expenditures | $6,130,000 | Outcome unverified Review question: Are collection fees and repairs using up parking revenue while spaces remain unusable? | |
Liquor stores FY2024 · 0.0% of reported expenditures | $0 | No reported spending No spending is reported for this item | |
Sea and inland port facilities FY2024 · 0.0% of reported expenditures | $0 | No reported spending No spending is reported for this item |
Other reported benefit spending
Separate source scope; excluded from the headline above. Open Details for purpose, analysis and reporting limits.
DATA INTEGRITY STATEMENT
- Source
- U.S. Census Bureau State Government Finances, FY2024. Reported expenditures: $520,734,957,000; general expenditures: $518,966,193,000. All function groups reconcile before rounding. Source: https://data.census.gov/table/GOVSSTATEFINTIMESERIES.GS00STATEFIN01?nkd=time~2024
- Scope
- State government only. Includes general services, transfers, utilities and liquor stores. Insurance trust benefits are a separate finance measure; recipient payments and local-government spending are not a second addition to this total. Finance functions are not agencies. Revenue and spending are separate classifications; the Money Map does not trace individual dollars. Record checks are not official audit findings.
Check the numbers
Sources & downloads
Every California figure on this page comes from these records. Download the data or open the original source.
Official budget documents
Planned spending. A separate source from the actual spending above.
Use only enacted or approved documents. Check each document's status and fiscal period before you compare it with actual spending.
Inspect the budget-resource source notesPublished sources
The records behind every figure on this page.
Questions about this tracker
What these records can and cannot show.
The Census FY2024 general-expenditure measure is $518,966,193,000. This excludes utilities, liquor stores and insurance-trust expenditures; the separate measures above show those coverage differences.
No. This is the latest fiscal year in the retrieved Census state-finance bulk release: FY2024. An enacted budget authorizes spending and requires a separate official state budget source.
No. These are accounting records, not audit findings, recipient payment records or evidence of misconduct. Check a specific claim against an audit, contract, payment or documented outcome.
You can compare the same Census measure and year, but total dollars do not adjust for population, prices or which level of government provides a service. Transfers and local spending need careful treatment.
About California State Budget & Spending Data
This page is built from two separate datasets: the Enacted Budget, by department; and Actual Spending, reported afterwards. The Money Map compares enacted fund categories with department allocations; it does not trace individual dollars.
The largest Enacted Budget in the country, by department, with Actual Spending alongside. Every figure is taken from the published record — ImpactLine adds no estimates and fills no gaps a government has left. See the methodology and sources.
California State Budget & Spending Quick Answers
How much is the California State budget?
The California State Enacted Budget shown totals $297.9B for FY2024–2025. Source: FY 2024-2025 Enacted State Budget.
What is the difference between California's Enacted Budget and Actual Spending?
The Enacted Budget (FY2024–2025) is the spending authorised before the year begins. Actual Spending (FY2024) is what was reported afterwards, on its own release cycle, so the two can cover different fiscal years and are kept separate here.
What are the largest departments in the California State FY2024–2025 budget?
The FY2024–2025 Enacted Budget totals $297.9B and is published as 8 lines. The largest are:
- Health & Human Services$110.5B
- K-12 Education (Prop 98)$82.6B
- General Gov & Operations$31.3B
- UC, CSU & Comm Colleges$25.1B
- Transportation (Caltrans)$21.2B
- Corrections (CDCR)$14.5B
- Natural Resources & CAL FIRE$9.2B
- Housing & Homelessness$3.5B
Where does California State spend its money?
Actual Spending in FY2024 totalled $520.735B, as published in U.S. Census Bureau · FY2024. The largest areas were:
- Public welfare$224,532,478,000
- Education$144,957,013,000
- Hospitals$25,154,977,000
- Highways$20,834,650,000
How is the California enacted budget divided by fund?
The FY2024–25 Budget Act appropriations break down by fund as follows; federal funds are outside this total:
- General Fund$211.5B (71.0% of enacted appropriations)
- Special Funds$84.0B (28.2% of enacted appropriations)
- Bond Funds$2.4B (0.8% of enacted appropriations)
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