Photo: formulanone · CC BY-SA 2.0Dos Palos spent less per resident in 2022 than 80% of similar cities
Dos Palos’ city government spent $4.8 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2022, about $910 per resident. Water and other utilities ($1 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Dos Palos is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$910 per resident in 2022: less than 80% of them
Dos Palos’ day-to-day spending in 2022 ($910 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 76 California cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,562, and the middle half spent $1,078–$2,489. Dos Palos spent less than 80% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($1.7 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 →
California cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Dos Palos itself left out).
About $910 per resident a year, or $2.49 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 36%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
No trend yet
Dos Palos reported only 2022 to the Census Bureau, so there is no trend yet.
The typical homeowner pays $1,663 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.56% of the home’s value, vs 0.70% across California.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Dos Palos’ 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 Dos Palos’ Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Dos Palos →
Who’s in charge in Dos Palos
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time city employee for every 176 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 (5,269).
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.
Dos Palos-Oro Loma Joint Unified School District
Dos Palos’ K–12 school district. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $18,830 per pupil, $10,356 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.
California districts overall: 36% local, 52% state, 11% federal.
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Dos Palos’ votes are counted by county
California reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Dos Palos alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Merced County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican50.6%43,003 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat46.8%39,769 votesOthers: 2.6% (2,222 votes).
Most votes in Merced County: Donald J Trump
California: Harris 58.5%, Trump 38.3%
100% of Dos Palos lies in Merced County. Every 2024 race in Merced County is on the county’s page.
Merced 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 Dos Palos.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilLocal officials aren’t on record yet.
- 2California AssemblyState representatives
- 3California SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of California
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
Reach Dos Palos’ government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about Dos Palos’ government
How much does Dos Palos spend per resident?
About $910 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2022, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $910 was less than 80% of 76 California cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Dos Palos?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,663 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.56% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.70% across California. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see the city’s assessor.
Who runs Dos Palos’ government?
We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Dos Palos yet.
How did Dos Palos vote in 2024?
California counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Dos Palos alone. Merced County, where 100% of Dos Palos lies, voted Trump 50.6%, Harris 46.8% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Dos Palos?
30 full-time and 12 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $162,941 (about $2.0M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Dos Palos in the state legislature?
State Senate District 14 (Anna Caballero) and Assembly District 27 (Esmeralda Soria). The Assembly district also covers 13 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Dos Palos’ 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 →