Neutra, Richard and Dion, VDL Research Houses and Studio · Photo: Doncram · CC BY-SA 3.0Los Angeles spent more per resident in 2022 than 83% of similar cities
Los Angeles’ city government spent $11.7 billion on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, about $3,050 per resident. Water and other utilities ($4.1 billion) and the airport ($1 billion) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Los Angeles is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
Who’s in charge in Los Angeles
From public records with a current term; a name is hidden the day its term ends.
About $3,050 per resident a year, or $8.36 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 28%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$2,398 per resident in 2022: more than 83% of them
Los Angeles’ day-to-day spending in 2022 ($2,398 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 479 California cities that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,385, and the middle half spent $960–$2,001. Los Angeles spent more than 83% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($1 billion), 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 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Los Angeles itself left out).
Day-to-day spending is up 22% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Los Angeles 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: $2,398 · 2023: $2,583 · 2024: $3,050.
full-time in March 2025, down from 51,702 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 $6,050 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.66% 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 Los Angeles’ 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 Los Angeles’ Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Los Angeles →
One full-time city employee for every 76 residents
On the payroll in March 2025, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll (a Census estimate). Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (3,822,238).
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.
Los Angeles Unified School District
Los Angeles’ K–12 school district, shared with Gardena, Huntington Park, Maywood, San Fernando, Vernon and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $25,643 per pupil, $13,717 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.
Los Angeles’ votes are counted by county
California reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Los Angeles alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Los Angeles County’s results.
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat64.8%2,416,522 votes
Donald J TrumpRepublican31.9%1,189,227 votesOthers: 3.3% (121,420 votes).
Most votes in Los Angeles County: Kamala D Harris
California: Harris 58.5%, Trump 38.3%
100% of Los Angeles lies in Los Angeles County. Every 2024 race in Los Angeles County is on the county’s page.
Los Angeles 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
Los Angeles sends 13 members to the State Assembly alone.
- 1Your cityMayorKaren Bassas listed by Open States, October 9, 2026
- 2California AssemblyLos Angeles is split between 13 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 Los Angeles compares with the towns next door
No neighbor is close in size, so the comparison above uses California cities that don’t run their own schools. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Rancho Palos Verdes | $806 | $10,000+ |
| Carson | $1,234 | $4,361 |
| Inglewood | $2,179 | $4,847 |
| Glendale | $2,362 | $6,679 |
| Burbank | $2,429 | $6,106 |
| Pasadena | $3,152 | $6,843 |
| Santa Monica | $5,378 | $10,000+ |
| Vernon | $207,509 | $3,667 |
| Los Angeles | $2,398 | $6,050 |
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 Los Angeles’ government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about Los Angeles’ government
How much does Los Angeles spend per resident?
About $3,050 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 $2,398 was more than 83% of 479 California cities that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Los Angeles?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $6,050 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.66% 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 Los Angeles?
Karen Bass, as listed by Open States (checked October 9, 2026).
How did Los Angeles vote in 2024?
California counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Los Angeles alone. Los Angeles County, where 100% of Los Angeles lies, voted Harris 64.8%, Trump 31.9% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Los Angeles?
50,427 full-time and 11,466 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $672.4M (about $8.1B a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.
Who represents Los Angeles in the state legislature?
Los Angeles is split among 13 Assembly districts and 6 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 Los Angeles’ 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 →