Photo: Ebyabe · CC BY-SA 2.5How is Bartow run?
Bartow’s city government spent $44 million on day-to-day services in the year to September 30, 2024, about $2,213 per resident. Water and other utilities ($35.1 million) and the airport ($4.4 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Bartow is run
Read from the city’s budget, meetings and official records.
About $2,213 per resident a year, or $6.06 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: administration & buildings, at 26%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$1,646 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Bartow’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,646 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 67 Florida cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,525, and the middle half spent $1,160–$2,204. Bartow spent more than 55% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($7.9 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 →
Florida cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Bartow itself left out).
Day-to-day spending is up 32% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Bartow 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: $1,646 · 2023: $1,941 · 2024: $2,213.
full-time in March 2025, up from 263 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 $1,281 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.55% of the home’s value, vs 0.76% across Florida.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Bartow’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 Bartow’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Bartow →
Recent meetings
From Bartow’s own agenda portal, checked daily. Agendas can change up to the meeting, so check before you go.
No upcoming meetings are posted yet.
Recent meetings
- Jun15City CommissionMonday · 6:00 pm · City Hall Commission Chambers, 450 N. Wilson AveCity Commission MeetingAgenda ↗Meeting page ↗
- Jun1City CommissionMonday · 6:00 pm · 450 N. Wilson Ave.City Commission MeetingAgenda ↗Meeting page ↗
Most meetings are open to the public, and many have a public comment period at the start.
Agenda portal ↗Who’s in charge in Bartow
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time city employee for every 63 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 (19,888).
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.
Polk County School District
Bartow’s K–12 school district, shared with Auburndale, Davenport, Dundee, Eagle Lake, Fort Meade and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $12,447 per pupil, $7,619 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.
Florida districts overall: 55% local, 29% state, 15% federal.
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Bartow’s votes are counted by county
Florida reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Bartow alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Polk County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican59.7%209,044 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat39.1%136,879 votesOthers: 1.2% (4,191 votes).
Most votes in Polk County: Donald J Trump
Florida: Trump 56.1%, Harris 43.0%
100% of Bartow lies in Polk County. Every 2024 race in Polk County is on the county’s page.
Polk 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 Bartow.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: cityofbartow.net ↗
- 2Florida HouseState representatives
- 3Florida SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Florida
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
How Bartow compares with the towns next door
Bartow spent $1,646 per resident in 2022. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Bartow | $1,646 | $1,281 |
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 Bartow’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Bartow’s government
How much does Bartow spend per resident?
About $2,213 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to September 30, 2024, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $1,646 was more than 55% of 67 Florida cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Bartow?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,281 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.55% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.76% across Florida. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see cityofbartow.net.
Who runs Bartow’s government?
See cityofbartow.net for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Bartow yet.
How did Bartow vote in 2024?
Florida counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Bartow alone. Polk County, where 100% of Bartow lies, voted Trump 59.7%, Harris 39.1% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Bartow?
316 full-time and 41 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $1.8M (about $21.6M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Bartow in the state legislature?
State Senate District 27 (Ben Albritton) and State House District 49 (Jennifer Kincart Jonsson). The House district also covers three neighboring towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Bartow’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 →