Photo: Altairisfar (Jeffrey Reed) · CC BY-SA 3.0Dauphin Island spent more per resident in 2022 than 94% of similar cities
Dauphin Island’s town government spent $2.3 million on day-to-day services in the year to September 30, 2022, about $1,684 per resident.
What stands out about how Dauphin Island is run
Read from the town’s budget and official records.
$1,684 per resident in 2022: more than 94% of them
Dauphin Island’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,684 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 109 Alabama cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $425, and the middle half spent $186–$701. Dauphin Island spent more than 94% of them.
Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →
Alabama cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Dauphin Island itself left out).
About $1,684 per resident a year, or $4.61 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: parks & libraries, at 92%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
No trend yet
Dauphin Island reported only 2022 to the Census Bureau, so there is no trend yet.
The typical homeowner pays $1,734 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.40% 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 Dauphin Island’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 Dauphin Island’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Dauphin Island →
Who’s in charge in Dauphin Island
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Dauphin Island’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The town posts agendas and minutes on townofdauphinisland.org ↗.
One full-time town employee for every 24 residents
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2022 finance file (1,366).
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.
Mobile County School District
Dauphin Island’s K–12 school district, shared with Bayou La Batre, Citronelle, Creola, Mobile, Mount Vernon and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $14,984 per pupil, $7,369 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.
Dauphin Island’s votes are counted by county
Alabama reports official results by county and precinct, not by town, so there are no official results for Dauphin Island alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Mobile County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican57.5%100,759 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat41.1%72,055 votesOthers: 1.3% (2,350 votes).
Most votes in Mobile County: Donald J Trump
Alabama: Trump 64.6%, Harris 34.1%
100% of Dauphin Island lies in Mobile County. Every 2024 race in Mobile County is on the county’s page.
Mobile 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 Dauphin Island.
- 1Your townTown governmentOfficials: townofdauphinisland.org ↗
- 2Alabama HouseState representatives
- 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.
Reach Dauphin Island’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Dauphin Island’s government
How much does Dauphin Island spend per resident?
About $1,684 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to September 30, 2022, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $1,684 was more than 94% of 109 Alabama cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Dauphin Island?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,734 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.40% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.38% across Alabama. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see townofdauphinisland.org.
Who runs Dauphin Island’s government?
See townofdauphinisland.org for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Dauphin Island yet.
How did Dauphin Island vote in 2024?
Alabama counts votes by county and precinct, not by town, so there are no official results for Dauphin Island alone. Mobile County, where 100% of Dauphin Island lies, voted Trump 57.5%, Harris 41.1% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Dauphin Island?
58 full-time and 16 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $166,048 (about $2.0M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Dauphin Island in the state legislature?
State Senate District 35 (David Sessions) and State House District 105 (Chip Brown). The House district also covers two neighboring towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Dauphin Island’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 →