Photo: Coolsheep2 · CC BY-SA 4.0Santa Ana spent more per resident in 2022 than 76% of similar cities
Santa Ana’s city government spent $641.3 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, about $2,081 per resident. Water and other utilities ($69.9 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Santa Ana is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$2,149 per resident in 2022: more than 76% of them
Santa Ana’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($2,149 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 74 California cities of 250,000–499,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,400, and the middle half spent $1,118–$2,095. Santa Ana spent more than 76% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($24.3 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 250,000–499,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Santa Ana itself left out).
About $2,081 per resident a year, or $5.70 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 25%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is down 10% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Santa Ana 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: $2,149 · 2023: $2,030 · 2024: $2,081. Per resident it went from $2,149 to $2,081 (down 3%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 331,301 to 308,189.
full-time in March 2025, up from 1,126 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 $3,997 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.56% 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 Santa Ana’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 Santa Ana’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Santa Ana →
Who’s in charge in Santa Ana
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Santa Ana’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on santa-ana.org ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 254 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 (308,189).
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.
Santa Ana Unified School District
Santa Ana’s K–12 school district. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $24,720 per pupil, $13,960 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.
Garden Grove Unified School District · $21,521 per pupil
Tustin Unified School District · $16,217 per pupil
Orange Unified School District · $16,406 per pupil
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Santa Ana’s votes are counted by county
California reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Santa Ana 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 Santa Ana 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 Santa Ana.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: santa-ana.org ↗
- 2California AssemblySanta Ana 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 Santa Ana compares with the towns next door
Santa Ana spent $2,149 per resident in 2022; the 6 neighbors that reported 2022 spent $1,085 to $1,440. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Orange | $1,085 | $6,215 |
| Tustin | $1,127 | $6,725 |
| Irvine | $1,216 | $9,543 |
| Fountain Valley | $1,260 | $5,975 |
| Garden Grove | $1,307 | $5,087 |
| Costa Mesa | $1,440 | $6,839 |
| Santa Ana | $2,149 | $3,997 |
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 Santa Ana’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Santa Ana’s government
How much does Santa Ana spend per resident?
About $2,081 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 $2,149 was more than 76% of 74 California cities of 250,000–499,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Santa Ana?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $3,997 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.56% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.70% across California. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see santa-ana.org.
Who runs Santa Ana’s government?
See santa-ana.org for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Santa Ana yet.
How did Santa Ana vote in 2024?
California counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Santa Ana alone. Orange County, where 100% of Santa Ana lies, voted Harris 49.7%, Trump 47.1% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Santa Ana?
1,212 full-time and 413 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $14.5M (about $174.2M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Santa Ana in the state legislature?
Santa Ana is split among 2 Assembly districts, so your address decides. The California Legislature’s lookup finds yours. Its State Senate district is District 34 (Tom Umberg). Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Santa Ana’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 →