Photo: Linda Roy Walls · CC BY-SA 4.0Laurel spent more per resident in 2022 than 68% of similar cities
Laurel’s town government spent $5.2 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2022, about $1,148 per resident. That is its newest year reported to the Census Bureau. Water and other utilities ($897,000) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Laurel is run
Read from the town’s budget and official records.
$1,148 per resident in 2022: more than 68% of them
Laurel’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,148 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 31 Delaware cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $597, and the middle half spent $311–$1,469. Laurel spent more than 68% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($1.8 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 →
Delaware cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Laurel itself left out).
About $1,148 per resident a year, or $3.15 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 42%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
No trend yet
Laurel reported only 2022 to the Census Bureau (2023 is an estimate), so there is no trend yet.
full-time in March 2025, up from 35 in 2022.
The typical homeowner pays $1,236 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.54% of the home’s value, vs 0.50% across Delaware.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Laurel’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 Laurel’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Laurel →
Who’s in charge in Laurel
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Laurel’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The town posts agendas and minutes on townoflaurel.net ↗.
One full-time town employee for every 122 residents
On the payroll in March 2025, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2022 finance file (4,511).
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.
Laurel School District
Laurel’s K–12 school district, shared with Bethel. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $16,661 per pupil, $8,946 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.
Delaware districts overall: 32% local, 57% state, 11% federal.
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Laurel’s votes are counted by county
Delaware reports official results by county and precinct, not by town, so there are no official results for Laurel alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Sussex County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican54.9%81,025 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat43.9%64,836 votesOthers: 1.2% (1,778 votes).
Most votes in Sussex County: Donald J Trump
Delaware: Harris 56.5%, Trump 41.8%
100% of Laurel lies in Sussex County. Every 2024 race in Sussex County is on the county’s page.
Sussex 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 Laurel.
- 1Your townTown governmentOfficials: townoflaurel.net ↗
- 2Delaware HouseLaurel is split between 2 districts
- 3Delaware SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Delaware
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
Reach Laurel’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Laurel’s government
How much does Laurel spend per resident?
About $1,148 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2022, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $1,148 was more than 68% of 31 Delaware cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Laurel?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,236 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.54% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.50% across Delaware. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see townoflaurel.net.
Who runs Laurel’s government?
See townoflaurel.net for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Laurel yet.
How did Laurel vote in 2024?
Delaware counts votes by county and precinct, not by town, so there are no official results for Laurel alone. Sussex County, where 100% of Laurel lies, voted Trump 54.9%, Harris 43.9% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Laurel?
37 full-time and 5 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $221,557 (about $2.7M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Laurel in the state legislature?
Laurel is split among 2 State House districts, so your address decides. The Delaware Legislature’s lookup finds yours. Its State Senate district is District 21 (Bryant Richardson). Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Laurel’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 →