Photo: Jon Zich, [email protected] · CC BY-SA 3.0Orange spent less per resident in 2022 than 76% of similar cities
Orange’s city government spent $163.1 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, about $1,198 per resident. Water and other utilities ($35.2 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Orange is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$1,085 per resident in 2022: less than 76% of them
Orange’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,085 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 $1,354, and the middle half spent $1,098–$2,038. Orange spent less than 76% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($4.2 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; Orange itself left out).
About $1,198 per resident a year, or $3.28 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 37%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is up 9% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Orange 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: $1,085 · 2023: $1,202 · 2024: $1,198.
full-time in March 2025, up from 601 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 $6,215 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 Orange’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 Orange’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Orange →
Who’s in charge in Orange
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Orange’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on cityoforange.org ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 221 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 (136,178).
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.
Anaheim Union High School District
Orange’s middle and high school district, shared with Cypress, Los Alamitos, Stanton, Anaheim, La Palma and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $20,079 per pupil, $11,883 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.
Orange Unified School District · $16,406 per pupil
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Orange’s votes are counted by county
California reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Orange 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 Orange 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 Orange.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: cityoforange.org ↗
- 2California AssemblyOrange 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 Orange compares with the towns next door
Orange spent $1,085 per resident in 2022; the 4 neighbors that reported 2022 spent $1,127 to $2,149. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Tustin | $1,127 | $6,725 |
| Garden Grove | $1,307 | $5,087 |
| Anaheim | $1,965 | $5,363 |
| Santa Ana | $2,149 | $3,997 |
| Orange | $1,085 | $6,215 |
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 Orange’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Orange’s government
How much does Orange spend per resident?
About $1,198 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 $1,085 was less than 76% of 59 California cities of 100,000–249,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Orange?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $6,215 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 cityoforange.org.
Who runs Orange’s government?
See cityoforange.org for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Orange yet.
How did Orange vote in 2024?
California counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Orange alone. Orange County, where 100% of Orange lies, voted Harris 49.7%, Trump 47.1% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Orange?
617 full-time and 66 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $7.6M (about $90.9M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Orange in the state legislature?
Orange 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 Orange’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 →