Franklin R. Lanter House · Photo: Rmprit · CC BY-SA 3.0How is Olathe run?
Olathe’s city government spent $231 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, about $1,586 per resident. Water and other utilities ($37.8 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Olathe is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
About $1,586 per resident a year, or $4.35 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: roads & transportation, at 25%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
No comparison for Olathe yet
The fair comparison uses 2022, the last year the Census Bureau counted every government (later years are a sample). Olathe’s 2022 operating figures are mostly a Census estimate, so it has no like-for-like peer figure. It reported 2024; the next full count is 2027.
How Town Hall compares budgets →Day-to-day spending is up 55% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Olathe 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: $1,050 · 2023: $1,257 · 2024: $1,586.
full-time in March 2025, up from 859 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 $4,273 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.17% 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 Olathe’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 Olathe’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Olathe →
Who’s in charge in Olathe
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Olathe’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on olatheks.org ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 138 residents
On the payroll in March 2025, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (145,616).
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.
Olathe Unified School District 233
Olathe’s K–12 school district, shared with Lenexa. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $14,977 per pupil, $8,952 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.
Spring Hill Unified School District 230 · $11,426 per pupil
Gardner Edgerton Unified School District 231 · $13,601 per pupil
De Soto Unified School District 232 · $12,922 per pupil
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
How Olathe voted in 2024
Official results for Olathe’s own voters, as certified after the November 5, 2024 general election, with the county and the state beside them.
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat50.1%37,544 votes
Donald J TrumpRepublican47.9%35,888 votesOthers: 1.9% (1,447 votes).
Most votes in Olathe: Kamala D Harris
Johnson County: Harris 53.4%, Trump 44.9% · Kansas: Trump 57.2%, Harris 41.0%
of Olathe’s 100,005 adult citizens voted for president in 2024. Across Kansas: 62%.
Votes ÷ citizens of voting age (Census CVAP, 2020–24 ACS).
Most votes in the district: Sharice Davids
Whole-district result
President, 2024: Olathe, its county and the state
| Harris | Trump | Others | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Olathe | 50.1% | 47.9% | 1.9% | 74,879 |
| Johnson County | 53.4% | 44.9% | 1.8% | 343,780 |
| 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
Olathe sends 9 representatives to the Kansas House alone.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: olatheks.org ↗
- 2Kansas HouseOlathe is split between 9 districts
- 3Kansas SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Kansas
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
How Olathe compares with the towns next door
Olathe’s 2022 figures are a Census estimate, so it isn’t placed among them. Neighbors that reported 2022 spent $8 to $1,353 per resident. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Aubry Township | $8 | $5,752 |
| Overland Park | $900 | $4,364 |
| Lenexa | $1,353 | $4,611 |
| Lexington Township | estimate | $5,823 |
| Oxford Township | estimate | $6,120 |
| Spring Hill Township | estimate | $3,893 |
| Gardner Township | estimate | $4,221 |
| Gardner | estimate | $3,464 |
| De Soto | estimate | $5,552 |
| Olathe | estimate | $4,273 |
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 Olathe’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Olathe’s government
How much does Olathe spend per resident?
About $1,586 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, as reported to the Census Bureau.
What is the property tax rate in Olathe?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $4,273 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.17% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.29% across Kansas. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see olatheks.org.
Who runs Olathe’s government?
See olatheks.org for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Olathe yet.
How did Olathe vote in 2024?
For president, Kamala D Harris 50.1%, Donald J Trump 47.9% (74,879 votes, official results). Johnson County: Harris 53.4%, Trump 44.9%. Kansas: Trump 57.2%, Harris 41.0%.
How many people work for Olathe?
1,053 full-time and 355 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $9.8M (about $118.0M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Olathe in the state legislature?
Olathe is split among 9 State House districts and 4 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 Olathe’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 →