Photo: Toksave · CC BY-SA 3.0How is Huntington Beach run?
Huntington Beach’s city government spent $348.4 million on day-to-day services in the year to September 30, 2024, about $1,793 per resident. Water and other utilities ($46.1 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Huntington Beach is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
Who’s in charge in Huntington Beach
From public records with a current term; a name is hidden the day its term ends.
Council members and agencies: huntingtonbeachca.gov ↗
Huntington Beach’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on huntingtonbeachca.gov ↗.
About $1,793 per resident a year, or $4.91 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 30%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$1,488 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Huntington Beach’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,488 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. Huntington Beach spent more than 59% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($21.8 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; Huntington Beach itself left out).
Day-to-day spending is up 18% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Huntington Beach 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: $1,488 · 2023: $1,634 · 2024: $1,793.
full-time in March 2025, up from 850 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 $6,234 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.57% 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 Huntington Beach’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 Huntington Beach’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Huntington Beach →
One full-time city employee for every 228 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 (194,310).
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.
Huntington Beach Union High School District
Huntington Beach’s high school district, shared with Costa Mesa, Fountain Valley, Seal Beach, Westminster, Garden Grove. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $18,463 per pupil, $10,924 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.
Huntington Beach City Elementary School District · $17,231 per pupil
Ocean View Elementary School District · $17,745 per pupil
Fountain Valley Elementary School District · $15,410 per pupil
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Huntington Beach’s votes are counted by county
California reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Huntington Beach 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 Huntington Beach 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 Huntington Beach.
- 1Your cityMayorPat Burnsas listed by Open States, October 9, 2026
- 2California AssemblyHuntington Beach is split between 2 districts
- 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.
How Huntington Beach compares with the towns next door
Huntington Beach spent $1,488 per resident in 2022; the 4 neighbors that reported 2022 spent $830 to $1,784. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Westminster | $830 | $5,217 |
| Fountain Valley | $1,260 | $5,975 |
| Costa Mesa | $1,440 | $6,839 |
| Seal Beach | $1,784 | $3,154 |
| Huntington Beach | $1,488 | $6,234 |
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 Huntington Beach’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Huntington Beach’s government
How much does Huntington Beach spend per resident?
About $1,793 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to September 30, 2024, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $1,488 was more than 59% of 59 California cities of 100,000–249,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Huntington Beach?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $6,234 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.57% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.70% across California. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see huntingtonbeachca.gov.
Who is the mayor of Huntington Beach?
Pat Burns, as listed by Open States (checked October 9, 2026). The council and agencies are listed on huntingtonbeachca.gov.
How did Huntington Beach vote in 2024?
California counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Huntington Beach alone. Orange County, where 100% of Huntington Beach lies, voted Harris 49.7%, Trump 47.1% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Huntington Beach?
852 full-time and 436 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $10.3M (about $123.9M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Huntington Beach in the state legislature?
Huntington Beach is split among 2 Assembly districts, so your address decides. The California Legislature’s lookup finds yours. Its State Senate district is District 36 (Tony Strickland). Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Huntington Beach’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 →