Alabama Great Southern Railroad Passenger Depot · Photo: JERRYE & ROY KLOTZ MD · CC BY-SA 3.0Fort Payne spent more per resident in 2022 than 68% of similar cities
Fort Payne’s city government spent $25.8 million on day-to-day services in the year to October 31, 2024, about $1,732 per resident. Water and other utilities ($4.5 million) and the airport ($751,000) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Fort Payne is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$1,519 per resident in 2022: more than 68% of them
Fort Payne’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,519 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 25 Alabama cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,222, and the middle half spent $976–$1,768. Fort Payne spent more than 68% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($4.8 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 →
Alabama cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Fort Payne itself left out).
About $1,732 per resident a year, or $4.75 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 23%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is up 21% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Fort Payne 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: $1,519 · 2023: $1,227 · 2024: $1,732. Per resident it went from $1,519 to $1,732 (up 14%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 14,041 to 14,879.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $531 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.34% 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 Fort Payne’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 Fort Payne’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Fort Payne →
Who’s in charge in Fort Payne
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Fort Payne’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on fortpayne.org ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 69 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 2024 finance file (14,879).
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.
Fort Payne City School District
Fort Payne’s K–12 school district. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $11,964 per pupil, $7,550 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.
Fort Payne’s votes are counted by county
Alabama reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Fort Payne alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are DeKalb County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican86.4%25,633 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat12.7%3,758 votesOthers: 0.9% (269 votes).
Most votes in DeKalb County: Donald J Trump
Alabama: Trump 64.6%, Harris 34.1%
100% of Fort Payne lies in DeKalb County. Every 2024 race in DeKalb County is on the county’s page.
DeKalb 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 Fort Payne.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: fortpayne.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.
How Fort Payne compares with the towns next door
Fort Payne spent $1,519 per resident in 2022; the neighbor that reported 2022 spent $171. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Valley Head | $171 | $199 |
| Pine Ridge | estimate | $504 |
| Hammondville | estimate | $508 |
| Fort Payne | $1,519 | $531 |
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 Fort Payne’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Fort Payne’s government
How much does Fort Payne spend per resident?
About $1,732 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to October 31, 2024, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $1,519 was more than 68% of 25 Alabama cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Fort Payne?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $531 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.34% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.38% across Alabama. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see fortpayne.org.
Who runs Fort Payne’s government?
See fortpayne.org for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Fort Payne yet.
How did Fort Payne vote in 2024?
Alabama counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Fort Payne alone. DeKalb County, where 100% of Fort Payne lies, voted Trump 86.4%, Harris 12.7% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Fort Payne?
216 full-time and 51 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $907,835 (about $10.9M a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.
Who represents Fort Payne in the state legislature?
State Senate District 8 (Steve Livingston) and State House District 24 (Nathaniel Ledbetter). The House district also covers 13 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Fort Payne’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 →