Photo: Andyrkellergmail · CC BY-SA 4.0Palm Coast spent less per resident in 2022 than 86% of similar cities
Palm Coast’s city government spent $115.7 million on day-to-day services in the year to September 30, 2024, about $1,176 per resident. Water and other utilities ($13 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Palm Coast is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$994 per resident in 2022: less than 86% of them
Palm Coast’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($994 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 35 Florida cities of 50,000–99,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,679, and the middle half spent $1,414–$2,315. Palm Coast spent less than 86% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($37.2 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 50,000–99,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Palm Coast itself left out).
About $1,176 per resident a year, or $3.22 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 43%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is up 26% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Palm Coast 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: $994 · 2024: $1,176. Per resident it went from $994 to $1,176 (up 18%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 92,350 to 98,411.
full-time in March 2025, up from 486 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 $2,645 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.75% 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 Palm Coast’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 Coast’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Palm Coast →
Who’s in charge in Palm Coast
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Palm Coast’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on palmcoastgov.com ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 175 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 (98,411).
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.
Flagler County School District
Palm Coast’s K–12 school district, shared with Beverly Beach, Bunnell, Flagler Beach, Marineland. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $11,630 per pupil, $6,839 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 Coast’s votes are counted by county
Florida reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Palm Coast alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Flagler County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican63.6%51,014 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat35.4%28,431 votesOthers: 1.0% (772 votes).
Most votes in Flagler County: Donald J Trump
Florida: Trump 56.1%, Harris 43.0%
100% of Palm Coast lies in Flagler County. Every 2024 race in Flagler County is on the county’s page.
Flagler 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 Coast.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: palmcoastgov.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 Coast compares with the towns next door
No neighbor is close in size, so the comparison above uses Florida cities of 50,000–99,999 that don’t run their own schools. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Bunnell | $2,054 | $2,435 |
| Flagler Beach | $2,140 | $4,118 |
| Palm Coast | $994 | $2,645 |
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 Coast’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Palm Coast’s government
How much does Palm Coast spend per resident?
About $1,176 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 $994 was less than 86% of 35 Florida cities of 50,000–99,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Palm Coast?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $2,645 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.75% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.76% across Florida. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see palmcoastgov.com.
Who runs Palm Coast’s government?
See palmcoastgov.com for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Palm Coast yet.
How did Palm Coast vote in 2024?
Florida counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Palm Coast alone. Flagler County, where 100% of Palm Coast lies, voted Trump 63.6%, Harris 35.4% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Palm Coast?
561 full-time and 64 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $3.4M (about $41.2M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Palm Coast in the state legislature?
State Senate District 7 (Tom Leek) and State House District 19 (Sam Greco). The House district also covers six other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Palm Coast’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 →