Photo: Harrison Keely · CC BY 4.0Clayton spent more per resident in 2022 than 88% of similar cities
Clayton’s city government spent $3.7 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2023, about $1,804 per resident. Water and other utilities ($2.1 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Clayton is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$1,515 per resident in 2022: more than 88% of them
Clayton’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,515 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–$1,060. Clayton spent more than 88% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($668,000), 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; Clayton itself left out).
About $1,804 per resident a year, or $4.94 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 38%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is up 15% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Clayton 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: $1,515 · 2023: $1,804.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $1,631 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.65% 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 Clayton’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 Clayton’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Clayton →
Who’s in charge in Clayton
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Clayton’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on cityofclaytonga.gov ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 81 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 (2,035).
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.
Rabun County School District
Clayton’s K–12 school district, shared with Dillard, Mountain City, Sky Valley, Tiger, Tallulah Falls. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $18,206 per pupil, $10,630 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.
Clayton’s votes are counted by county
Georgia reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Clayton alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Rabun County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican78.2%8,151 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat21.3%2,222 votesOthers: 0.5% (50 votes).
Most votes in Rabun County: Donald J Trump
Georgia: Trump 50.7%, Harris 48.5%
100% of Clayton lies in Rabun County. Every 2024 race in Rabun County is on the county’s page.
Rabun 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 Clayton.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: cityofclaytonga.gov ↗
- 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 Clayton’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Clayton’s government
How much does Clayton spend per resident?
About $1,804 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2023, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $1,515 was more than 88% of 243 Georgia cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Clayton?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,631 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.65% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.77% across Georgia. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see cityofclaytonga.gov.
Who runs Clayton’s government?
See cityofclaytonga.gov for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Clayton yet.
How did Clayton vote in 2024?
Georgia counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Clayton alone. Rabun County, where 100% of Clayton lies, voted Trump 78.2%, Harris 21.3% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Clayton?
25 full-time and 0 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $117,006 (about $1.4M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Clayton in the state legislature?
State Senate District 50 (Bo Hatchett) and State House District 10 (Victor Anderson). The House district also covers 10 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Clayton’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 →