Photo: Michael Kagdis · CC BY-SA 3.0Palm Beach spent more per resident in 2022 than 100% of similar cities
Palm Beach’s town government spent $97 million on day-to-day services in the year to September 30, 2023, about $10,480 per resident. Water and other utilities ($22.9 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Palm Beach is run
Read from the town’s budget and official records.
$10,254 per resident in 2022: more than 100% of them
Palm Beach’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($10,254 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 97 Florida cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,449, and the middle half spent $1,034–$2,118. Palm Beach spent more than 100% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($9.6 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 →
Florida cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Palm Beach itself left out).
About $10,480 per resident a year, or $28.71 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: administration & buildings, at 35%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is up 7% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Palm Beach 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: $10,254 · 2023: $10,480.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
Typical bills top $10,000 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Palm Beach’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 Palm Beach’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Palm Beach →
Who’s in charge in Palm Beach
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Palm Beach’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The town posts agendas and minutes on townofpalmbeach.com ↗.
One full-time town employee for every 29 residents
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2023 finance file (9,251).
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.
Palm Beach County School District
Palm Beach’s K–12 school district, shared with Atlantis, Belle Glade, Boca Raton, Boynton Beach, Briny Breezes and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $15,224 per pupil, $9,697 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.
Palm Beach’s votes are counted by county
Florida reports official results by county and precinct, not by town, so there are no official results for Palm Beach alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Palm Beach County’s results.
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat49.8%372,512 votes
Donald J TrumpRepublican49.0%366,836 votesOthers: 1.2% (9,141 votes).
Most votes in Palm Beach County: Kamala D Harris
Florida: Trump 56.1%, Harris 43.0%
100% of Palm Beach lies in Palm Beach County. Every 2024 race in Palm Beach County is on the county’s page.
Palm Beach 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 Palm Beach.
- 1Your townTown governmentOfficials: townofpalmbeach.com ↗
- 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 Palm Beach compares with the towns next door
Palm Beach spent $10,254 per resident in 2022; the 4 neighbors that reported 2022 spent $1,518 to $3,624. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Lantana | $1,518 | $2,447 |
| Lake Worth Beach | $2,092 | $3,439 |
| West Palm Beach | $3,548 | $3,862 |
| Riviera Beach | $3,624 | $3,224 |
| Palm Beach | $10,254 | $10,000+ |
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 Palm Beach’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Palm Beach’s government
How much does Palm Beach spend per resident?
About $10,480 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to September 30, 2023, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $10,254 was more than 100% of 97 Florida cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools.
Who runs Palm Beach’s government?
See townofpalmbeach.com for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Palm Beach yet.
How did Palm Beach vote in 2024?
Florida counts votes by county and precinct, not by town, so there are no official results for Palm Beach alone. Palm Beach County, where 100% of Palm Beach lies, voted Harris 49.8%, Trump 49.0% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Palm Beach?
321 full-time and 10 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $2.8M (about $34.1M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Palm Beach in the state legislature?
State Senate District 24 (Mack Bernard) and State House District 87 (Emily Gregory). The House district also covers 12 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Palm Beach’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 →