Photo: Originally uploaded by Rockero (Transferred by JaumeBG) · Public domainOntario spent more per resident in 2022 than 98% of similar cities
Ontario’s city government spent $887.2 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, about $4,954 per resident. Water and other utilities ($58.7 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Ontario is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$3,316 per resident in 2022: more than 98% of them
Ontario’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($3,316 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–$1,943. Ontario spent more than 98% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($64.6 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 →
California cities of 100,000–249,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Ontario itself left out).
About $4,954 per resident a year, or $13.57 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 16%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is up 46% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Ontario 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: $3,316 · 2023: $5,967 · 2024: $4,954.
full-time in March 2025, up from 1,127 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 $3,638 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.60% 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 Ontario’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 Ontario’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Ontario →
Who’s in charge in Ontario
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time city employee for every 125 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 (179,061).
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.
Chaffey Joint Union High School District
Ontario’s high school district, shared with Chino, Fontana, Montclair, Rancho Cucamonga, Upland. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $18,582 per pupil, $11,328 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.
Ontario-Montclair School District · $24,222 per pupil
Mountain View Elementary School District · $15,248 per pupil
Cucamonga Elementary School District · $24,442 per pupil
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Ontario’s votes are counted by county
California reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Ontario alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are San Bernardino County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican49.6%376,825 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat47.6%361,256 votesOthers: 2.8% (21,114 votes).
Most votes in San Bernardino County: Donald J Trump
California: Harris 58.5%, Trump 38.3%
100% of Ontario lies in San Bernardino County. Every 2024 race in San Bernardino County is on the county’s page.
San Bernardino 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 Ontario.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilLocal officials aren’t on record yet.
- 2California AssemblyOntario 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 Ontario compares with the towns next door
Ontario spent $3,316 per resident in 2022; the 5 neighbors that reported 2022 spent $531 to $1,464. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Eastvale | $531 | $9,137 |
| Upland | $1,016 | $4,586 |
| Rancho Cucamonga | $1,272 | $5,108 |
| Fontana | $1,405 | $4,801 |
| Chino | $1,464 | $5,175 |
| Ontario | $3,316 | $3,638 |
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 Ontario’s government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about Ontario’s government
How much does Ontario spend per resident?
About $4,954 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 $3,316 was more than 98% of 59 California cities of 100,000–249,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Ontario?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $3,638 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.60% 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 Ontario’s government?
We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Ontario yet.
How did Ontario vote in 2024?
California counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Ontario alone. San Bernardino County, where 100% of Ontario lies, voted Trump 49.6%, Harris 47.6% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Ontario?
1,432 full-time and 473 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $21.7M (about $260.1M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Ontario in the state legislature?
Ontario is split among 2 Assembly districts, so your address decides. The California Legislature’s lookup finds yours. Its State Senate district is District 22 (Susan Rubio). Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Ontario’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 →