Photo: JoeyBLS · Public domainGriffith spent less per resident in 2022 than 77% of similar cities
Griffith’s town government spent $21 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, about $1,291 per resident. Water and other utilities ($1.6 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Griffith is run
Read from the town’s budget and official records.
$962 per resident in 2022: less than 77% of them
Griffith’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($962 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 35 Indiana cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,182, and the middle half spent $997–$1,616. Griffith spent less than 77% 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 →
Indiana cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Griffith itself left out).
About $1,291 per resident a year, or $3.54 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 29%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is up 36% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Griffith 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: $962 · 2024: $1,291.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $1,796 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.85% of the home’s value, vs 0.74% across Indiana.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Griffith’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 Griffith’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Griffith →
Who’s in charge in Griffith
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Griffith’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The town posts agendas and minutes on griffith.in.gov ↗.
One full-time town employee for every 214 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 (16,287).
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.
Griffith Public Schools
Griffith’s K–12 school district. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $15,619 per pupil, $8,564 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.
Indiana districts overall: 33% local, 56% state, 11% federal.
Lake Central School Corporation · $12,633 per pupil
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
From town hall to Washington
Every level of government that speaks for Griffith.
- 1Your townTown governmentOfficials: griffith.in.gov ↗
- 2Indiana HouseState representatives
- 3Indiana SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Indiana
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
How Griffith compares with the towns next door
Griffith spent $962 per resident in 2022; the 6 neighbors that reported 2022 spent $15 to $849. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| St. John Township | $15 | $2,938 |
| North Township | $23 | $1,895 |
| Ross Township | $27 | $1,905 |
| Calumet Township | $53 | $1,096 |
| Merrillville | $338 | $1,805 |
| Schererville | $849 | $2,734 |
| Highland | estimate | $2,047 |
| Gary | estimate | $915 |
| Griffith | $962 | $1,796 |
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 Griffith’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Griffith’s government
How much does Griffith spend per resident?
About $1,291 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 $962 was less than 77% of 35 Indiana cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Griffith?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,796 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.85% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.74% across Indiana. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see griffith.in.gov.
Who runs Griffith’s government?
See griffith.in.gov for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Griffith yet.
How many people work for Griffith?
76 full-time and 55 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $229,357 (about $2.8M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Griffith in the state legislature?
State Senate District 1 (Dan Dernulc) and State House District 12 (Mike Andrade). The House district also covers six other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Griffith’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 →