Photo: Shannon Beat · CC BY 4.0Lawrence spent more per resident in 2022 than 96% of similar cities
Lawrence’s city government spent $161.5 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2023, about $1,695 per resident. That is its newest year reported to the Census Bureau. It also runs a hospital ($307.2 million) and water utilities ($27.5 million), counted separately. Census Bureau figures.
What stands out about how Lawrence is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
About $1,695 per resident a year, or $4.64 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: administration & buildings, at 22%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$1,611 per resident in 2022: more than 96% of them
Lawrence’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,611 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 307 Kansas cities that don’t run their own schools: the median was $613, and the middle half spent $300–$903. Lawrence spent more than 96% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($29.4 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 →
Kansas cities that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Lawrence itself left out).
Day-to-day spending is up 2% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Lawrence 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: $1,611 · 2023: $1,695.
full-time in March 2025 (hospital, health & welfare left out), up from 828 in 2022.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $3,659 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.25% of the home’s value, vs 1.29% across Kansas.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Lawrence’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 Lawrence’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Lawrence →
Who’s in charge in Lawrence
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Lawrence’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on lawrenceks.org ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 107 residents, not counting hospital, health & welfare staff
On the payroll in March 2025, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2023 finance file (95,256).
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.
Lawrence Unified School District 497
Lawrence’s K–12 school district, shared with Grant Township, Wakarusa Township, Clinton Township, Willow Springs Township. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $12,393 per pupil, $6,783 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.
Kansas districts overall: 28% local, 61% state, 11% federal.
Perry Public Schools Unified School District 343 · $14,678 per pupil
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
How Lawrence voted in 2024
Official results for Lawrence’s own voters, as certified after the November 5, 2024 general election, with the county and the state beside them.
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat75.6%33,329 votes
Donald J TrumpRepublican22.9%10,076 votesOthers: 1.5% (659 votes).
Most votes in Lawrence: Kamala D Harris
Douglas County: Harris 68.2%, Trump 30.2% · Kansas: Trump 57.2%, Harris 41.0%
of Lawrence’s 76,413 adult citizens voted for president in 2024. Across Kansas: 62%.
Votes ÷ citizens of voting age (Census CVAP, 2020–24 ACS).
U.S. House, 2024: 2 districts cover Lawrence, so your street decides which race was yours. All 2 districts’ results →
President, 2024: Lawrence, its county and the state
| Harris | Trump | Others | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lawrence | 75.6% | 22.9% | 1.5% | 44,064 |
| Douglas County | 68.2% | 30.2% | 1.6% | 58,041 |
| Kansas | 41.0% | 57.2% | 1.8% | 1,327,591 |
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
Lawrence sends 7 representatives to the Kansas House alone.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: lawrenceks.org ↗
- 2Kansas HouseLawrence is split between 7 districts
- 3Kansas SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseSplit between districts
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Kansas
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
How Lawrence compares with the towns next door
Lawrence spent $1,611 per resident in 2022. Most of its neighbors are townships, a different kind of government, so the like-for-like comparison is with similar cities, above. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Eudora Township | $58 | $4,126 |
| Clinton Township | $316 | $5,344 |
| Kanwaka Township | $337 | $4,570 |
| Wakarusa Township | $547 | $4,326 |
| Grant Township | $1,035 | $4,371 |
| Lawrence | $1,611 | $3,659 |
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 Lawrence’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Lawrence’s government
How much does Lawrence spend per resident?
About $1,695 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2023, as reported to the Census Bureau. Lawrence also runs a hospital ($307.2 million), counted separately. In 2022, the last full count, its $1,611 was more than 96% of 307 Kansas cities that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Lawrence?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $3,659 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.25% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.29% across Kansas. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see lawrenceks.org.
Who runs Lawrence’s government?
See lawrenceks.org for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Lawrence yet.
How did Lawrence vote in 2024?
For president, Kamala D Harris 75.6%, Donald J Trump 22.9% (44,064 votes, official results). Douglas County: Harris 68.2%, Trump 30.2%. Kansas: Trump 57.2%, Harris 41.0%.
How many people work for Lawrence?
887 full-time and 852 part-time employees in March 2025 (plus 1,409 full-time hospital, health & welfare staff), with a March payroll of $19.6M (about $235.3M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Lawrence in the state legislature?
Lawrence is split among 7 State House districts and 3 State Senate districts, so your address decides. The Kansas Legislature’s lookup finds yours. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Lawrence’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 →