Photo: Jud McCranie · CC BY 3.0How is Swainsboro run?
Swainsboro’s city government spent $9 million on day-to-day services in the year to November 30, 2022, about $1,196 per resident. Water and other utilities ($1.6 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Swainsboro is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
About $1,196 per resident a year, or $3.28 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: roads & transportation, at 27%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$1,196 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Swainsboro’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,196 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 105 Georgia cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,116, and the middle half spent $820–$1,467. Swainsboro spent more than 56% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($1.2 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 of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Swainsboro itself left out).
No trend yet
Swainsboro reported only 2022 to the Census Bureau, so there is no trend yet.
The typical homeowner pays $1,096 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.00% 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 Swainsboro’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 Swainsboro’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Swainsboro →
Who’s in charge in Swainsboro
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Swainsboro’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on cityofswainsboro.org ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 121 residents
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2022 finance file (7,491).
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.
Emanuel County School District
Swainsboro’s K–12 school district, shared with Garfield, Nunez, Oak Park, Stillmore, Summertown and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $14,888 per pupil, $8,694 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.
Swainsboro’s votes are counted by county
Georgia reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Swainsboro alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Emanuel County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican71.9%6,919 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat27.8%2,673 votesOthers: 0.3% (27 votes).
Most votes in Emanuel County: Donald J Trump
Georgia: Trump 50.7%, Harris 48.5%
100% of Swainsboro lies in Emanuel County. Every 2024 race in Emanuel County is on the county’s page.
Emanuel 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 Swainsboro.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: cityofswainsboro.org ↗
- 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 Swainsboro’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Swainsboro’s government
How much does Swainsboro spend per resident?
About $1,196 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to November 30, 2022, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $1,196 was more than 56% of 105 Georgia cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Swainsboro?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,096 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.00% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.77% across Georgia. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see cityofswainsboro.org.
Who runs Swainsboro’s government?
See cityofswainsboro.org for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Swainsboro yet.
How did Swainsboro vote in 2024?
Georgia counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Swainsboro alone. Emanuel County, where 100% of Swainsboro lies, voted Trump 71.9%, Harris 27.8% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Swainsboro?
62 full-time and 11 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $260,410 (about $3.1M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Swainsboro in the state legislature?
State Senate District 23 (Max Burns) and State House District 158 (Butch Parrish). The House district also covers 13 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Swainsboro’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 →