Photo: City of Winder · CC BY-SA 4.0How is Winder run?
Winder’s city government spent $30.8 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, about $1,587 per resident. Water and other utilities ($26.7 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Winder is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
About $1,587 per resident a year, or $4.35 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 27%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$1,199 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Winder’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,199 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 42 Georgia cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,175, and the middle half spent $865–$1,687. Winder spent more than 55% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($4.1 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 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Winder itself left out).
Day-to-day spending is up 41% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Winder 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: $1,199 · 2023: $1,387 · 2024: $1,587. Per resident it went from $1,199 to $1,587 (up 32%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 18,273 to 19,400.
full-time in March 2025, up from 152 in 2022. Both are Census estimates.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $2,372 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 Winder’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 Winder’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Winder →
Who’s in charge in Winder
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Winder’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on cityofwinder.com ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 119 residents
On the payroll in March 2025, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll (a Census estimate). Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (19,400).
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.
Barrow County School District
Winder’s K–12 school district, shared with Bethlehem, Carl, Statham, Auburn. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $14,509 per pupil, $8,868 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.
Winder’s votes are counted by county
Georgia reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Winder alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Barrow County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican69.9%30,730 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat29.5%12,949 votesOthers: 0.6% (255 votes).
Most votes in Barrow County: Donald J Trump
Georgia: Trump 50.7%, Harris 48.5%
100% of Winder lies in Barrow County. Every 2024 race in Barrow County is on the county’s page.
Barrow 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 Winder.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: cityofwinder.com ↗
- 2Georgia HouseWinder is split between 2 districts
- 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.
How Winder compares with the towns next door
Winder spent $1,199 per resident in 2022; the neighbor that reported 2022 spent $148. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Bethlehem | $148 | $1,929 |
| Winder | $1,199 | $2,372 |
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 Winder’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Winder’s government
How much does Winder spend per resident?
About $1,587 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 $1,199 was more than 55% of 42 Georgia cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Winder?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $2,372 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 cityofwinder.com.
Who runs Winder’s government?
See cityofwinder.com for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Winder yet.
How did Winder vote in 2024?
Georgia counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Winder alone. Barrow County, where 100% of Winder lies, voted Trump 69.9%, Harris 29.5% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Winder?
163 full-time and 48 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $940,876 (about $11.3M a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.
Who represents Winder in the state legislature?
Winder is split among 2 State House districts and 3 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 Winder’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 →