Photo: Joseph from Cabin On The Road, USA · CC BY-SA 2.0Valdez runs its own hospital
Valdez’s city government spent $58 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, about $15,009 per resident. It also runs a hospital ($19.5 million), counted separately. Census Bureau figures.
What stands out about how Valdez is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
About $15,009 per resident a year, or $41.12 a day
Schools are part of the city’s budget, so they lead the receipt: 32% of day-to-day spending.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Valdez runs its own schools, so school spending is part of this budget. Comparisons are with Alaska cities that run their own schools.
$12,906 per resident in 2022: more than 75% of them
Valdez’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($12,906 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 16 Alaska cities that run their own schools: the median was $9,278, and the middle half spent $6,778–$12,290. Valdez spent more than 75% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($2.3 million), as the Census Bureau counts them. Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →
Alaska cities that run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Valdez itself left out).
Day-to-day spending is up 17% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Valdez reported to the Census Bureau. Prices rose too: about 4% a year in 2022–2024.
Day-to-day spending by fiscal year
Per resident: 2022: $12,906 · 2023: $12,990 · 2024: $15,009.
full-time in March 2025 (hospital, health & welfare left out), down from 271 in 2022.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $4,309 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.38% of the home’s value, vs 1.11% across Alaska.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Valdez’s rate.
Can I afford it? →The median bill homeowners report to the Census survey (bills of $10,000+ are reported as “$10,000+”). The effective rate is that bill ÷ the median home value: a rough guide, not the official tax rate.
Tax bills are one input to Valdez’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Valdez →
Who’s in charge in Valdez
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Valdez’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on valdezak.gov ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 15 residents, not counting hospital, health & welfare staff
On the payroll in March 2025, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (3,865).
By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2025
The Census reports one month’s payroll (March); yearly figures are that month × 12, an estimate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.
Valdez City School District
Valdez’s K–12 school district. The schools are run by Valdez, so this money is part of the budget above.
Of the $30,328 per pupil, $17,168 goes to the classroom (teachers, aides, supplies); the rest to buses, buildings, counselors and administration. Building projects and debt payments aren’t in the per-pupil figure.
Alaska districts overall: 24% local, 55% state, 21% federal.
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
From town hall to Washington
Every level of government that speaks for Valdez.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: valdezak.gov ↗
- 2Alaska HouseState representatives
- 3Alaska SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Alaska
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
Reach Valdez’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Valdez’s government
How much does Valdez spend per resident?
About $15,009 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, as reported to the Census Bureau. Valdez also runs a hospital ($19.5 million), counted separately. In 2022, the last full count, its $12,906 was more than 75% of 16 Alaska cities that run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Valdez?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $4,309 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.38% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.11% across Alaska. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see valdezak.gov.
Who runs Valdez’s government?
See valdezak.gov for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Valdez yet.
How many people work for Valdez?
252 full-time and 58 part-time employees in March 2025 (plus 3 full-time hospital, health & welfare staff), with a March payroll of $1.8M (about $21.6M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Valdez in the state legislature?
State Senate District O (George Rauscher) and State House District 29 (Garret Nelson). Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Valdez’s government
Neighbors who’ve been to the meetings can help.
Budget and staff: U.S. Census Bureau, Census of Governments (2022, every government) and Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances (2023–24, a sample) and the Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll; day-to-day spending is current operations, with hospitals, utilities and airports apart. School district: Census school finance survey, 2023–24. Property tax: Census American Community Survey, 2020–24. Elections: official 2024 returns via the MIT Election Data + Science Lab; turnout uses Census citizen voting-age population (CVAP, 2020–24). Officials: Open States, names shown only with a current term (checked October 9, 2026). Districts: Census Bureau (119th Congress, 2024 state districts); legislators: Open States and congress-legislators. How Town Hall works →