How is Kinston run?
Kinston’s town government spent $298,000 on day-to-day services in the year to September 30, 2022, about $540 per resident. Water and other utilities ($212,000) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Kinston is run
Read from the town’s budget and official records.
About $540 per resident a year, or $1.48 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 25%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$540 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Kinston’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($540 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–$735. Kinston spent more than 61% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($42,000), 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 under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Kinston itself left out).
No trend yet
Kinston reported only 2022 to the Census Bureau, so there is no trend yet.
The typical homeowner pays $243 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 Kinston’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 Kinston’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Kinston →
Who’s in charge in Kinston
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time town employee for every 79 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 (552).
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.
Coffee County School District
Kinston’s K–12 school district, shared with New Brockton. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $11,571 per pupil, $6,788 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.
Kinston’s votes are counted by county
Alabama reports official results by county and precinct, not by town, so there are no official results for Kinston alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Coffee County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican78.4%17,495 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat20.6%4,601 votesOthers: 1.0% (223 votes).
Most votes in Coffee County: Donald J Trump
Alabama: Trump 64.6%, Harris 34.1%
100% of Kinston lies in Coffee County. Every 2024 race in Coffee County is on the county’s page.
Coffee 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 Kinston.
- 1Your townTown governmentLocal officials aren’t on record yet.
- 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 Kinston’s government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about Kinston’s government
How much does Kinston spend per resident?
About $540 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 $540 was more than 61% of 109 Alabama cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Kinston?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $243 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 the town’s assessor.
Who runs Kinston’s government?
We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Kinston yet.
How did Kinston vote in 2024?
Alabama counts votes by county and precinct, not by town, so there are no official results for Kinston alone. Coffee County, where 100% of Kinston lies, voted Trump 78.4%, Harris 20.6% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Kinston?
7 full-time and 4 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $23,318 (about $279,816 a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Kinston in the state legislature?
State Senate District 31 (Josh Carnley) and State House District 92 (Matthew Hammett). The House district also covers 17 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Kinston’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 →