Photo: User:Geographer · CC BY 2.5Fullerton spent more per resident in 2022 than 70% of similar cities
Fullerton’s city government spent $169.1 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2023, about $1,192 per resident. Water and other utilities ($28.7 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Fullerton is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
Who’s in charge in Fullerton
From public records with a current term; a name is hidden the day its term ends.
About $1,192 per resident a year, or $3.27 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 33%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$1,722 per resident in 2022: more than 70% of them
Fullerton’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,722 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 59 California cities of 100,000–249,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,350, and the middle half spent $1,086–$2,038. Fullerton spent more than 70% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($16.1 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 100,000–249,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Fullerton itself left out).
Day-to-day spending is down 30% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Fullerton 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: $1,722 · 2023: $1,192.
full-time in March 2025, up from 468 in 2022.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $5,697 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.63% 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 Fullerton’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 Fullerton’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Fullerton →
One full-time city employee for every 256 residents
On the payroll in March 2025, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2023 finance file (141,874).
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.
Fullerton Joint Union High School District
Fullerton’s high school district, shared with Brea, La Habra, La Habra Heights, Buena Park, La Palma. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $17,606 per pupil, $10,211 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.
Fullerton Elementary School District · $17,732 per pupil
Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District · $17,021 per pupil
Buena Park Elementary School District · $21,064 per pupil
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Fullerton’s votes are counted by county
California reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Fullerton alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Orange County’s results.
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat49.7%691,577 votes
Donald J TrumpRepublican47.1%654,494 votesOthers: 3.2% (44,403 votes).
Most votes in Orange County: Kamala D Harris
California: Harris 58.5%, Trump 38.3%
100% of Fullerton lies in Orange County. Every 2024 race in Orange County is on the county’s page.
Orange 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 Fullerton.
- 1Your cityMayorFred Jungas listed by Open States, October 9, 2026
- 2California AssemblyFullerton is split between 2 districts
- 3California SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseSplit between districts
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of California
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
How Fullerton compares with the towns next door
Fullerton spent $1,722 per resident in 2022; the 6 neighbors that reported 2022 spent $809 to $2,227. 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 Fullerton’s government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about Fullerton’s government
How much does Fullerton spend per resident?
About $1,192 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 $1,722 was more than 70% of 59 California cities of 100,000–249,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Fullerton?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $5,697 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.63% 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 is the mayor of Fullerton?
Fred Jung, as listed by Open States (checked October 9, 2026).
How did Fullerton vote in 2024?
California counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Fullerton alone. Orange County, where 100% of Fullerton lies, voted Harris 49.7%, Trump 47.1% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Fullerton?
555 full-time and 81 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $5.8M (about $69.5M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Fullerton in the state legislature?
Fullerton is split among 2 Assembly districts and 2 State Senate districts, so your address decides. The California Legislature’s lookup finds yours. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Fullerton’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 →