Lake Butler Woman's Club · Photo: Ebyabe · CC BY 2.5How is Lake Butler run?
Lake Butler’s city government spent $2.4 million on day-to-day services in the year to September 30, 2022, about $1,331 per resident. That is its newest year reported to the Census Bureau. Water and other utilities ($516,000) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Lake Butler is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
About $1,331 per resident a year, or $3.65 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 58%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$1,331 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Lake Butler’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,331 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 122 Florida cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,101, and the middle half spent $538–$1,752. Lake Butler spent more than 62% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($1.4 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 under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Lake Butler itself left out).
No trend yet
Lake Butler reported only 2022 to the Census Bureau (2023 is an estimate), so there is no trend yet.
The typical homeowner pays $1,089 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.65% 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 Lake Butler’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. In a town this small the estimate has a wide margin.
Tax bills are one input to Lake Butler’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Lake Butler →
Who’s in charge in Lake Butler
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Lake Butler’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on cityoflakebutler.org ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 99 residents
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2022 finance file (1,789).
By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2022
The Census reports one month’s payroll (March); yearly figures are that month × 12, an estimate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.
Union County School District
Lake Butler’s K–12 school district, shared with Raiford, Worthington Springs. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $12,200 per pupil, $6,890 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.
Lake Butler’s votes are counted by county
Florida reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Lake Butler alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Union County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican83.6%5,224 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat15.5%971 votesOthers: 0.8% (51 votes).
Most votes in Union County: Donald J Trump
Florida: Trump 56.1%, Harris 43.0%
100% of Lake Butler lies in Union County. Every 2024 race in Union County is on the county’s page.
Union 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 Lake Butler.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: cityoflakebutler.org ↗
- 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.
Reach Lake Butler’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Lake Butler’s government
How much does Lake Butler spend per resident?
About $1,331 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to September 30, 2022, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $1,331 was more than 62% of 122 Florida cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Lake Butler?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,089 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.65% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.76% across Florida. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see cityoflakebutler.org.
Who runs Lake Butler’s government?
See cityoflakebutler.org for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Lake Butler yet.
How did Lake Butler vote in 2024?
Florida counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Lake Butler alone. Union County, where 100% of Lake Butler lies, voted Trump 83.6%, Harris 15.5% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Lake Butler?
18 full-time and 6 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $66,194 (about $794,328 a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Lake Butler in the state legislature?
State Senate District 6 (Jennifer Bradley) and State House District 10 (Chuck Brannan). The House district also covers 14 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Lake Butler’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 →