Photo: Marine 69-71 · CC BY-SA 4.0El Mirage spent less per resident in 2022 than 70% of similar cities
El Mirage’s city government spent $49.4 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, about $1,372 per resident. Water and other utilities ($8.2 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how El Mirage is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$952 per resident in 2022: less than 70% of them
El Mirage’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($952 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 27 Arizona cities of 25,000–49,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,087, and the middle half spent $884–$1,696. El Mirage spent less than 70% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($4.4 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 →
Arizona cities of 25,000–49,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; El Mirage itself left out).
About $1,372 per resident a year, or $3.76 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 28%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is up 42% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years El Mirage 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: $952 · 2024: $1,372.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $1,079 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.34% 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 El Mirage’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 El Mirage’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in El Mirage →
Who’s in charge in El Mirage
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
El Mirage’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on cityofelmirage.org ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 184 residents
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (35,985).
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.
Dysart Unified District
El Mirage’s K–12 school district, shared with Surprise. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $10,430 per pupil, $5,637 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.
El Mirage’s votes are counted by county
Arizona reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for El Mirage 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 El Mirage 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 El Mirage.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: cityofelmirage.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 El Mirage compares with the towns next door
El Mirage spent $952 per resident in 2022; the 2 neighbors that reported 2022 spent $677 to $1,415. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
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 El Mirage’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about El Mirage’s government
How much does El Mirage spend per resident?
About $1,372 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $952 was less than 70% of 27 Arizona cities of 25,000–49,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in El Mirage?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,079 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.34% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.48% across Arizona. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see cityofelmirage.org.
Who runs El Mirage’s government?
See cityofelmirage.org for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for El Mirage yet.
How did El Mirage vote in 2024?
Arizona counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for El Mirage alone. Maricopa County, where 100% of El Mirage lies, voted Trump 51.0%, Harris 47.5% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for El Mirage?
196 full-time and 8 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $1.3M (about $16.1M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents El Mirage in the state legislature?
State Senate District 29 (Janae Shamp) and State House District 29 (James Taylor and Steve Montenegro). The House district also covers five other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about El Mirage’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 →