Robert Toombs House · Photo: TampAGS, for AGS Media · CC BY-SA 3.0Washington spent more per resident in 2022 than 75% of similar cities
Washington’s city government spent $4.4 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, about $1,180 per resident. Water and other utilities ($19.1 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Washington is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$1,467 per resident in 2022: more than 75% of them
Washington’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,467 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–$1,437. Washington spent more than 75% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($1.6 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; Washington itself left out).
About $1,180 per resident a year, or $3.23 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 42%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is down 24% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Washington 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: $1,467 · 2024: $1,180.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $1,647 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.14% 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 Washington’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 Washington’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Washington →
Who’s in charge in Washington
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Washington’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on cityofwashingtonga.gov ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 54 residents
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (3,693).
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.
Wilkes County School District
Washington’s K–12 school district, shared with Rayle, Tignall. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $17,023 per pupil, $8,980 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.
Washington’s votes are counted by county
Georgia reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Washington alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Wilkes County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican58.3%2,971 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat41.4%2,112 votesOthers: 0.3% (15 votes).
Most votes in Wilkes County: Donald J Trump
Georgia: Trump 50.7%, Harris 48.5%
100% of Washington lies in Wilkes County. Every 2024 race in Wilkes County is on the county’s page.
Wilkes 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 Washington.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: cityofwashingtonga.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 Washington’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Washington’s government
How much does Washington spend per resident?
About $1,180 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $1,467 was more than 75% of 105 Georgia cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Washington?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,647 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.14% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.77% across Georgia. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see cityofwashingtonga.gov.
Who runs Washington’s government?
See cityofwashingtonga.gov for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Washington yet.
How did Washington vote in 2024?
Georgia counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Washington alone. Wilkes County, where 100% of Washington lies, voted Trump 58.3%, Harris 41.4% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Washington?
68 full-time and 13 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $265,977 (about $3.2M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Washington in the state legislature?
State Senate District 24 (Lee Anderson) and State House District 123 (Rob Leverett). The House district also covers 10 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Washington’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 →