Federal Revenues by Source

Most federal revenues come from individuals. Personal income taxes provide the largest portion of total tax revenues, though some of this is small-business income. Social Security and Medicare payroll taxes are the second-largest source.

PERCENTAGE OF TOTAL FEDERAL REVENUE (2010)

In Depth

• Policy Papers for Researchers

  • BACKGROUNDER ON JULY 20, 2010The Economic Case Against the Death Tax
  • BACKGROUNDER ON MARCH 21, 2011Obama’s 2012 Budget: Higher Taxes, Slower Growth

• Technical Notes

  The charts in this book are based primarily on data available as of March 2011 from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and the Congressional Budget Office (CBO). The charts using OMB data display the historical growth of the federal government to 2010 while the charts using CBO data display both historical and projected growth from as early as 1940 to 2084. Projections based on OMB data are taken from the White House Fiscal Year 2012 budget. The charts provide data on an annual basis except… Read More

• Authors

  Emily GoffResearch Assistant
  Thomas A. Roe Institute for Economic Policy StudiesKathryn NixPolicy Analyst
  Center for Health Policy StudiesJohn FlemingSenior Data Graphics Editor