Photo: Ken Lund · CC BY-SA 2.0Safford spent more per resident in 2022 than 100% of similar cities
Safford’s city government spent $19.3 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, about $1,872 per resident. Water and other utilities ($10.3 million) and the airport ($495,000) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Safford is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$2,807 per resident in 2022: more than 100% of them
Safford’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($2,807 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–$1,699. Safford spent more than 100% 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 →
Arizona cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Safford itself left out).
About $1,872 per resident a year, or $5.13 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 26%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is down 31% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Safford 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: $2,807 · 2024: $1,872.
full-time in March 2025, down from 198 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 $977 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.49% 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 Safford’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 Safford’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Safford →
Who’s in charge in Safford
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Safford’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on cityofsafford.us ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 68 residents
On the payroll in March 2025, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (10,297).
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.
Safford Unified District
Safford’s K–12 school district. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $10,752 per pupil, $6,286 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.
Solomon Elementary District · $12,274 per pupil
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Safford’s votes are counted by county
Arizona reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Safford alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Graham County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican73.5%11,177 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat25.4%3,867 votesOthers: 1.1% (171 votes).
Most votes in Graham County: Donald J Trump
100% of Safford lies in Graham County. Every 2024 race in Graham County is on the county’s page.
Graham 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 Safford.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: cityofsafford.us ↗
- 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 Safford compares with the towns next door
Safford spent $2,807 per resident in 2022; the neighbor that reported 2022 spent $1,695. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Thatcher | $1,695 | $1,267 |
| Safford | $2,807 | $977 |
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 Safford’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Safford’s government
How much does Safford spend per resident?
About $1,872 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 $2,807 was more than 100% of 20 Arizona cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Safford?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $977 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.49% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.48% across Arizona. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see cityofsafford.us.
Who runs Safford’s government?
See cityofsafford.us for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Safford yet.
How did Safford vote in 2024?
Arizona counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Safford alone. Graham County, where 100% of Safford lies, voted Trump 73.5%, Harris 25.4% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Safford?
152 full-time and 39 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $962,356 (about $11.5M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Safford in the state legislature?
State Senate District 19 (David Gowan) and State House District 19 (Gail Griffin and Lupe Diaz). The House district also covers 13 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Safford’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 →