REAL ESTATE TAX REVENUE in St. Louis City jumped by more than 5 percent in 2018 after several years of tepid growth, the latest figures from the city show.

Tax receipts from residential and commercial real estate hit $48.3 million in the city’s general revenue fund for the 2018 fiscal year, which ended on June 30. That’s an increase of almost 5.1 percent from fiscal 2017, when receipts totaled just under $46 million.

The tax receipts, which reflect higher assessments in sought-after neighborhoods, helped offset lackluster growth in the city’s earning tax. The 2018 figures are unaudited. They’re disclosed in offering documents for a $50 million general-obligation bond issue that city voters approved in August.

Other highlights in fiscal 2018:

– The brisk rise in real estate tax revenue shows the city’s budget is finally benefiting from the recovery in house prices since the Great Recession. From 2014 to 2017 real estate revenue had risen much more slowly, with the annual growth rate never topping 1.7 percent.

– Why it’s clear that housing is leading the way: The city estimated its residential property stock as of August had a market value of $10.9 billion, up 13 percent from 2016, which was before the last reassessment. Commercial property, at $4.79 billion, was up less than 1 percent in the same period.

– Job growth in the city appears to be flat despite the nation’s strong economy. This is reflected in the fact that revenue from the earnings tax, the biggest contributor to the general fund, rose just 1.3 percent in fiscal 2018 to $174 million. That fell short of original expectations by $5.3 million. The city expects earnings tax to rise by 2.7 percent in the current fiscal year.

– Payroll tax, which is paid by businesses, also pointed to a stagnant jobs picture. Revenue fell by 0.4 percent to just under $38 million. The city expects payroll tax revenue to rise by 2 percent in the current fiscal year.

– The franchise tax, which applies to utilities and is passed on to consumers, showed healthy revenue growth of 9.3 percent to $54.4 million after at least three straight years of declines.

– Sales tax revenue for the general fund rose by 3.6 percent to almost $54 million. This followed voters’ approval of a new half-cent sales tax in 2017 for economic development projects including a proposed North-South Metrolink line.

– Total tax revenue that went into the general fund was $392 million, up 2.9 percent from 2017. A separate revenue category for service charges jumped 11 percent to $37.6 million, thanks largely to an increase in garbage collection fees.

– St. Louis is making solid progress toward rebuilding its cash reserves after the recession, but it continues to face significant pressure from pensions and other expenses. The general fund had a small operating surplus of $1.1 million, due mainly to the fact that the city spent $5.2 million less than budgeted.

S&P Global Ratings assigned an A+ rating to the new bonds and affirmed its A+ rating on the city’s existing general-obligation debt, with a stable outlook. In a report provided to McPherson, S&P analysts cited the city’s “strong management practices” including its efforts to replenish cash reserves. The A+ rating is solidly investment grade, although it is several notches below the top AAA rating.

City officials did not respond to requests for comment on the revenue figures. The comptroller’s office is scheduled to release audited data for fiscal year 2018 in December.

(This story was updated on Nov. 12 to clarify that the tax receipt figures are for the general fund, which is the main operating fund for the city of St. Louis.)