Photo: Quintin Soloviev · CC BY 4.0How is Stockton run?
Stockton’s city government spent $460.1 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, about $1,430 per resident. Water and other utilities ($37.8 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Stockton is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
Who’s in charge in Stockton
From public records with a current term; a name is hidden the day its term ends.
About $1,430 per resident a year, or $3.92 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 36%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$1,327 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Stockton’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,327 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 $1,404, and the middle half spent $1,118–$2,136. Stockton spent less than 55% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($58.9 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 250,000–499,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Stockton itself left out).
Day-to-day spending is up 11% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Stockton 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: $1,327 · 2023: $1,293 · 2024: $1,430.
full-time in March 2025, up from 1,548 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 $3,174 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.72% 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 Stockton’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 Stockton’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Stockton →
One full-time city employee for every 205 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 (321,819).
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.
Stockton Unified School District
Stockton’s K–12 school district. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $22,774 per pupil, $12,805 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.
Lodi Unified School District · $18,435 per pupil
Lincoln Unified School District · $16,379 per pupil
Manteca Unified School District · $15,599 per pupil
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Stockton’s votes are counted by county
California reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Stockton alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are San Joaquin County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican48.9%128,846 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat48.0%126,583 votesOthers: 3.0% (8,025 votes).
Most votes in San Joaquin County: Donald J Trump
California: Harris 58.5%, Trump 38.3%
100% of Stockton lies in San Joaquin County. Every 2024 race in San Joaquin County is on the county’s page.
San Joaquin 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 Stockton.
- 1Your cityMayorChristina Fugazias listed by Open States, October 9, 2026
- 2California AssemblyState representatives
- 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 Stockton compares with the towns next door
No neighbor is close in size, so the comparison above uses California cities of 250,000–499,999 that don’t run their own schools. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Stockton | $1,327 | $3,174 |
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 Stockton’s government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about Stockton’s government
How much does Stockton spend per resident?
About $1,430 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 $1,327 was less than 55% of 74 California cities of 250,000–499,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Stockton?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $3,174 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.72% 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 Stockton?
Christina Fugazi, as listed by Open States (checked October 9, 2026).
How did Stockton vote in 2024?
California counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Stockton alone. San Joaquin County, where 100% of Stockton lies, voted Trump 48.9%, Harris 48.0% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Stockton?
1,569 full-time and 238 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $15.6M (about $187.6M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Stockton in the state legislature?
State Senate District 5 (Jerry McNerney) and Assembly District 13 (Rhodesia Ransom). The Assembly district also covers two neighboring towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Stockton’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 →