Photo: formulanone · CC BY-SA 2.0How is Gadsden run?
Gadsden’s city government spent $56.4 million on day-to-day services in the year to September 30, 2024, about $1,691 per resident. Water and other utilities ($16.4 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Gadsden is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
About $1,691 per resident a year, or $4.63 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: fire, at 20%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$1,424 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Gadsden’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,424 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 37 Alabama cities of 25,000–49,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,257, and the middle half spent $1,021–$1,756. Gadsden spent more than 62% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($3.6 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 25,000–49,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Gadsden itself left out).
Day-to-day spending is up 14% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Gadsden 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: $1,424 · 2023: $1,627 · 2024: $1,691. Per resident it went from $1,424 to $1,691 (up 19%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 34,816 to 33,335.
full-time in March 2025, up from 576 in 2022. Both are Census estimates.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $554 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.47% 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 Gadsden’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 Gadsden’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Gadsden →
Who’s in charge in Gadsden
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Gadsden’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on cityofgadsden.com ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 56 residents
On the payroll in March 2025, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll (a Census estimate). Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (33,335).
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.
Gadsden City School District
Gadsden’s K–12 school district. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $14,326 per pupil, $8,408 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.
Gadsden’s votes are counted by county
Alabama reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Gadsden alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Etowah County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican77.3%35,653 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat21.7%10,027 votesOthers: 1.0% (457 votes).
Most votes in Etowah County: Donald J Trump
Alabama: Trump 64.6%, Harris 34.1%
100% of Gadsden lies in Etowah County. Every 2024 race in Etowah County is on the county’s page.
Etowah 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 Gadsden.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: cityofgadsden.com ↗
- 2Alabama HouseGadsden 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 Gadsden compares with the towns next door
Gadsden spent $1,424 per resident in 2022. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Rainbow City | estimate | $826 |
| Attalla | estimate | $427 |
| Glencoe | estimate | $765 |
| Reece City | estimate | $485 |
| Gadsden | $1,424 | $554 |
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 Gadsden’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Gadsden’s government
How much does Gadsden spend per resident?
About $1,691 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to September 30, 2024, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $1,424 was more than 62% of 37 Alabama cities of 25,000–49,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Gadsden?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $554 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.47% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.38% across Alabama. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see cityofgadsden.com.
Who runs Gadsden’s government?
See cityofgadsden.com for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Gadsden yet.
How did Gadsden vote in 2024?
Alabama counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Gadsden alone. Etowah County, where 100% of Gadsden lies, voted Trump 77.3%, Harris 21.7% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Gadsden?
599 full-time and 218 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $3.0M (about $35.6M a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.
Who represents Gadsden in the state legislature?
Gadsden is split among 2 State House districts, so your address decides. The Alabama Legislature’s lookup finds yours. Its State Senate district is District 10 (Andrew Jones). Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Gadsden’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 →