How is Brighton run?
Brighton’s city government spent $1.4 million on day-to-day services in the year to September 30, 2022, about $481 per resident. These are Census Bureau estimates: Brighton didn’t report its figures, so this page shows them without comparisons.
What stands out about how Brighton is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
Jefferson County School District
Brighton’s K–12 school district, shared with Adamsville, Brookside, Cardiff, Center Point, Fultondale and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $12,625 per pupil, $6,769 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.
Alabama districts overall: 31% local, 53% state, 16% federal.
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
About $481 per resident a year, or $1.32 a day
Day-to-day services only (a Census Bureau estimate). The biggest line: administration & buildings, at 33%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Brighton didn’t report all of its 2022 figures to the Census Bureau, so most of these numbers are the Bureau’s estimates.
No comparison or trend for Brighton yet
Every year of Brighton’s figures is a Census Bureau estimate: the city reported none of its dollars for 2022. Estimates are shown above, labeled, but never ranked against places that reported or drawn as a trend.
How Town Hall compares budgets →The typical homeowner pays $358 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.51% of the home’s value, vs 0.38% across Alabama.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Brighton’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. In a town this small the estimate has a wide margin.
Tax bills are one input to Brighton’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Brighton →
Who’s in charge in Brighton
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time city employee for every 1,412 residents
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll (a Census estimate). Residents: the Census population in the 2022 finance file (2,824).
By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2022
The Census reports one month’s payroll (March); yearly figures are that month × 12, an estimate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.
Brighton’s votes are counted by county
Alabama reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Brighton alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Jefferson County’s results.
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat54.3%162,112 votes
Donald J TrumpRepublican43.9%131,123 votesOthers: 1.8% (5,469 votes).
Most votes in Jefferson County: Kamala D Harris
Alabama: Trump 64.6%, Harris 34.1%
100% of Brighton lies in Jefferson County. Every 2024 race in Jefferson County is on the county’s page.
Jefferson County’s 2024 results →Official 2024 general election returns, as certified (MIT Election Data + Science Lab). Percentages are of votes for candidates; blank and spoiled ballots aren’t counted. Candidates are listed by votes, and party colors are neutral on purpose.
Portraits: Kamala D Harris: official vice-presidential portrait, Lawrence Jackson, The White House, 2021; Donald J Trump: official portrait, Shealah Craighead, The White House, 2017. All are U.S. government works in the public domain. A race shows photos only when every candidate has an official portrait; otherwise every candidate in it gets initials.
From town hall to Washington
Every level of government that speaks for Brighton.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilLocal officials aren’t on record yet.
- 2Alabama HouseBrighton is split between 2 districts
- 3Alabama SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Alabama
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
How Brighton compares with the towns next door
Brighton’s own figures are Census estimates, so it isn’t placed among its neighbors. 1 of the 3 towns next door reported 2022 figures, from $2,304 per resident. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Birmingham | $2,304 | $997 |
| Bessemer | estimate | $883 |
| Midfield | estimate | $852 |
| Brighton | estimate | $358 |
Day-to-day spending in 2022, the last year every government was counted, for governments that reported it; hospital and utilities left out. Tax bill: the typical homeowner’s bill (Census ACS, 2020–24).
Reach Brighton’s government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about Brighton’s government
How much does Brighton spend per resident?
About $481 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to September 30, 2022, a Census Bureau estimate (Brighton didn’t report its figures). With building projects and interest, the whole budget was about $1.4 million.
What is the property tax rate in Brighton?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $358 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.51% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.38% across Alabama. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see the city’s assessor.
Who runs Brighton’s government?
We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Brighton yet.
How did Brighton vote in 2024?
Alabama counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Brighton alone. Jefferson County, where 100% of Brighton lies, voted Harris 54.3%, Trump 43.9% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Brighton?
2 full-time and 68 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $109,425 (about $1.3M a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.
Who represents Brighton in the state legislature?
Brighton is split among 2 State House districts, so your address decides. The Alabama Legislature’s lookup finds yours. Its State Senate district is District 19 (Merika Coleman). Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Brighton’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 (for Brighton, the Bureau’s estimates); 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 →