Photo: AtlChampion · CC BY-SA 4.0Atlanta spent more per resident in 2022 than 86% of similar cities
Atlanta’s city government spent $1.2 billion on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, about $2,473 per resident. Water and other utilities ($406 million) and the airport ($403.2 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Atlanta is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$1,654 per resident in 2022: more than 86% of them
Atlanta’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,654 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 431 Georgia cities that don’t run their own schools: the median was $898, and the middle half spent $550–$1,287. Atlanta spent more than 86% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($84.2 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 →
Georgia cities that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Atlanta itself left out).
About $2,473 per resident a year, or $6.78 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 23%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is up 46% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Atlanta 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: $1,654 · 2023: $1,840 · 2024: $2,473.
full-time in March 2025, up from 7,984 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 $4,231 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.96% of the home’s value, vs 0.77% across Georgia.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Atlanta’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 Atlanta’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Atlanta →
Who’s in charge in Atlanta
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Atlanta’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on discoveratlanta.com ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 54 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 (499,127).
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.
Atlanta City School District
Atlanta’s K–12 school district. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $26,117 per pupil, $14,275 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.
Georgia districts overall: 49% local, 39% state, 12% federal.
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Atlanta’s votes are counted by county
Georgia reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Atlanta alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Fulton County’s results.
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat71.9%384,741 votes
Donald J TrumpRepublican27.0%144,648 votesOthers: 1.1% (5,831 votes).
Most votes in Fulton County: Kamala D Harris
Georgia: Trump 50.7%, Harris 48.5%
92% of Atlanta lies in Fulton County; the rest in DeKalb County. Every 2024 race in Fulton County is on the county’s page.
Fulton 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
Atlanta sends 14 representatives to the Georgia House alone.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: discoveratlanta.com ↗
- 2Georgia HouseAtlanta is split between 14 districts
- 3Georgia SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseSplit between districts
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Georgia
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
How Atlanta compares with the towns next door
No neighbor is close in size, so the comparison above uses Georgia cities that don’t run their own schools. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Sandy Springs | $786 | $5,553 |
| Decatur | $1,284 | $9,295 |
| Hapeville | $2,914 | $3,800 |
| South Fulton | estimate | $2,146 |
| East Point | estimate | $1,773 |
| Atlanta | $1,654 | $4,231 |
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 Atlanta’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Atlanta’s government
How much does Atlanta spend per resident?
About $2,473 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $1,654 was more than 86% of 431 Georgia cities that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Atlanta?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $4,231 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.96% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.77% across Georgia. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see discoveratlanta.com.
Who runs Atlanta’s government?
See discoveratlanta.com for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Atlanta yet.
How did Atlanta vote in 2024?
Georgia counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Atlanta alone. Fulton County, where 92% of Atlanta lies, voted Harris 71.9%, Trump 27.0% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Atlanta?
9,313 full-time and 89 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $71.4M (about $856.2M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Atlanta in the state legislature?
Atlanta is split among 14 State House districts and 6 State Senate districts, so your address decides. The Georgia Legislature’s lookup finds yours. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Atlanta’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 →