Photo: Ebyabe · CC BY-SA 2.5How is Boston run?
Boston’s city government spent $1 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2022, about $766 per resident. Water and other utilities ($86,000) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Boston is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
About $766 per resident a year, or $2.10 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 40%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$766 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Boston’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($766 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 243 Georgia cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $696, and the middle half spent $428–$1,080. Boston spent more than 56% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($201,000), 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 of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Boston itself left out).
No trend yet
Boston reported only 2022 to the Census Bureau, so there is no trend yet.
The typical homeowner pays $1,302 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.82% 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 Boston’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 Boston’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Boston →
Who’s in charge in Boston
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Boston’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on bostonga.com ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 146 residents
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll (a Census estimate). Residents: the Census population in the 2022 finance file (1,313).
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.
Thomas County School District
Boston’s K–12 school district, shared with Coolidge, Ochlocknee, Meigs, Pavo, Barwick. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $15,529 per pupil, $9,296 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.
Boston’s votes are counted by county
Georgia reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Boston alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Thomas County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican61.9%13,670 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat37.8%8,347 votesOthers: 0.3% (63 votes).
Most votes in Thomas County: Donald J Trump
Georgia: Trump 50.7%, Harris 48.5%
100% of Boston lies in Thomas County. Every 2024 race in Thomas County is on the county’s page.
Thomas 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 Boston.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: bostonga.com ↗
- 2Georgia HouseState representatives
- 3Georgia SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Georgia
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
Reach Boston’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Boston’s government
How much does Boston spend per resident?
About $766 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2022, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $766 was more than 56% of 243 Georgia cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Boston?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,302 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.82% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.77% across Georgia. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see bostonga.com.
Who runs Boston’s government?
See bostonga.com for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Boston yet.
How did Boston vote in 2024?
Georgia counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Boston alone. Thomas County, where 100% of Boston lies, voted Trump 61.9%, Harris 37.8% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Boston?
9 full-time and 26 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $76,899 (about $922,788 a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.
Who represents Boston in the state legislature?
State Senate District 11 (Sam Watson) and State House District 173 (Darlene Taylor). The House district also covers five other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Boston’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 →