Photo: Dough4872 · CC BY-SA 4.0Smyrna spent more per resident in 2022 than 72% of similar cities
Smyrna’s town government spent $17.1 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, about $1,285 per resident. Water and other utilities ($16.6 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Smyrna is run
Read from the town’s budget and official records.
$1,188 per resident in 2022: more than 72% of them
Smyrna’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,188 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 32 Delaware cities that don’t run their own schools: the median was $604, and the middle half spent $312–$1,399. Smyrna spent more than 72% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($2.6 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 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Smyrna itself left out).
About $1,285 per resident a year, or $3.52 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 35%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is up 18% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Smyrna 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: $1,188 · 2023: $1,348 · 2024: $1,285. Per resident it went from $1,188 to $1,285 (up 8%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 12,163 to 13,294.
full-time in March 2025, up from 106 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 $1,353 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.46% 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 Smyrna’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 Smyrna’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Smyrna →
Who’s in charge in Smyrna
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Smyrna’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The town posts agendas and minutes on smyrna.delaware.gov ↗.
One full-time town employee for every 121 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 (13,294).
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.
Smyrna School District
Smyrna’s K–12 school district, shared with Clayton, Kenton, Leipsic. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $16,150 per pupil, $9,381 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.
Smyrna’s votes are counted by county
Delaware reports official results by county and precinct, not by town, so there are no official results for Smyrna alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Kent County’s results.
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat50.2%44,222 votes
Donald J TrumpRepublican48.2%42,458 votesOthers: 1.7% (1,461 votes).
Most votes in Kent County: Kamala D Harris
Delaware: Harris 56.5%, Trump 41.8%
100% of Smyrna lies in Kent County; the rest in New Castle County. Every 2024 race in Kent County is on the county’s page.
Kent 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 Smyrna.
- 1Your townTown governmentOfficials: smyrna.delaware.gov ↗
- 2Delaware HouseSmyrna is split between 3 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.
How Smyrna compares with the towns next door
Smyrna spent $1,188 per resident in 2022; the neighbor that reported 2022 spent $309. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Clayton | $309 | $1,485 |
| Smyrna | $1,188 | $1,353 |
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 Smyrna’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Smyrna’s government
How much does Smyrna spend per resident?
About $1,285 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $1,188 was more than 72% of 32 Delaware cities that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Smyrna?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,353 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.46% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.50% across Delaware. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see smyrna.delaware.gov.
Who runs Smyrna’s government?
See smyrna.delaware.gov for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Smyrna yet.
How did Smyrna vote in 2024?
Delaware counts votes by county and precinct, not by town, so there are no official results for Smyrna alone. Kent County, where 100% of Smyrna lies, voted Harris 50.2%, Trump 48.2% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Smyrna?
110 full-time and 13 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $644,983 (about $7.7M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Smyrna in the state legislature?
Smyrna is split among 3 State House districts, so your address decides. The Delaware Legislature’s lookup finds yours. Its State Senate district is District 14 (Kyra Hoffner). Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Smyrna’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 →