Photo: Marine 69-71 · CC BY-SA 4.0How is Carefree run?
Carefree’s town government spent $7.5 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2023, about $2,029 per resident. Water and other utilities ($104,000) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Carefree is run
Read from the town’s budget and official records.
Cave Creek Unified District
Carefree’s K–12 school district, shared with Cave Creek, Scottsdale. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $10,334 per pupil, $5,051 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.
Arizona districts overall: 35% local, 47% state, 18% federal.
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
About $2,029 per resident a year, or $5.56 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: roads & transportation, at 38%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$1,542 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Carefree’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,542 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 20 Arizona cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,434, and the middle half spent $974–$1,787. Carefree spent more than 55% of them.
Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →
Arizona cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Carefree itself left out).
Day-to-day spending is up 22% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Carefree 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: $1,542 · 2023: $2,029. Per resident it went from $1,542 to $2,029 (up 32%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 3,974 to 3,685.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $2,972 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.27% of the home’s value, vs 0.48% across Arizona.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Carefree’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 Carefree’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Carefree →
Who’s in charge in Carefree
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Carefree’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The town posts agendas and minutes on carefree.org ↗.
One full-time town employee for every 217 residents
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2023 finance file (3,685).
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.
Carefree’s votes are counted by county
Arizona reports official results by county and precinct, not by town, so there are no official results for Carefree alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Maricopa County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican51.0%1,051,531 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat47.5%980,016 votesOthers: 1.5% (30,497 votes).
Most votes in Maricopa County: Donald J Trump
100% of Carefree lies in Maricopa County. Every 2024 race in Maricopa County is on the county’s page.
Maricopa 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 Carefree.
- 1Your townTown governmentOfficials: carefree.org ↗
- 2Arizona HouseState representatives
- 3Arizona SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Arizona
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
How Carefree compares with the towns next door
Carefree spent $1,542 per resident in 2022; the neighbor that reported 2022 spent $1,662. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Scottsdale | $1,662 | $2,956 |
| Cave Creek | estimate | $2,443 |
| Carefree | $1,542 | $2,972 |
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 Carefree’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Carefree’s government
How much does Carefree spend per resident?
About $2,029 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2023, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $1,542 was more than 55% of 20 Arizona cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Carefree?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $2,972 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.27% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.48% across Arizona. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see carefree.org.
Who runs Carefree’s government?
See carefree.org for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Carefree yet.
How did Carefree vote in 2024?
Arizona counts votes by county and precinct, not by town, so there are no official results for Carefree alone. Maricopa County, where 100% of Carefree lies, voted Trump 51.0%, Harris 47.5% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Carefree?
17 full-time and 0 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $117,121 (about $1.4M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Carefree in the state legislature?
State Senate District 3 (John Kavanagh) and State House District 3 (Alex Kolodin and Cody Reim). The House district also covers four other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Carefree’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 →