Kraft, Herbert, Memorial Free Library · Photo: NoeHill · CC BY-SA 3.0Red Bluff spent more per resident in 2022 than 88% of similar cities
Red Bluff’s city government spent $18.2 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2023, about $1,246 per resident. Water and other utilities ($2 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Red Bluff is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$2,686 per resident in 2022: more than 88% of them
Red Bluff’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($2,686 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 101 California cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,377, and the middle half spent $885–$1,875. Red Bluff spent more than 88% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($2.9 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 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Red Bluff itself left out).
About $1,246 per resident a year, or $3.41 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 36%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is down 52% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Red Bluff 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: $2,686 · 2023: $1,246.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $1,775 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.59% 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 Red Bluff’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 Red Bluff’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Red Bluff →
Who’s in charge in Red Bluff
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Red Bluff’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on cityofredbluff.org ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 146 residents
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2023 finance file (14,588).
By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2022
The Census reports one month’s payroll (March); yearly figures are that month × 12, an estimate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.
Red Bluff Joint Union High School District
Red Bluff’s high school district. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $20,068 per pupil, $11,330 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.
Red Bluff Union Elementary School District · $19,719 per pupil
Antelope Elementary School District · $16,979 per pupil
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Red Bluff’s votes are counted by county
California reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Red Bluff alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Tehama County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican69.7%18,463 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat28.0%7,406 votesOthers: 2.3% (612 votes).
Most votes in Tehama County: Donald J Trump
California: Harris 58.5%, Trump 38.3%
100% of Red Bluff lies in Tehama County. Every 2024 race in Tehama County is on the county’s page.
Tehama 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 Red Bluff.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: cityofredbluff.org ↗
- 2California AssemblyState representativesDistrict 3
- 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.
Reach Red Bluff’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Red Bluff’s government
How much does Red Bluff spend per resident?
About $1,246 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 $2,686 was more than 88% of 101 California cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Red Bluff?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,775 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.59% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.70% across California. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see cityofredbluff.org.
Who runs Red Bluff’s government?
See cityofredbluff.org for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Red Bluff yet.
How did Red Bluff vote in 2024?
California counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Red Bluff alone. Tehama County, where 100% of Red Bluff lies, voted Trump 69.7%, Harris 28.0% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Red Bluff?
100 full-time and 22 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $621,827 (about $7.5M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Red Bluff in the state legislature?
State Senate District 1 (Megan Dahle) and Assembly District 3. The Assembly district also covers 14 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Red Bluff’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 →