Keeneland-Keeneland Racetrack · Photo: Jason Phillips (user:Wildcat~commonswiki) · CC BY 2.5Lexington spent more per resident in 2022 than 86% of similar cities
Lexington’s city government spent $591.4 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, about $1,846 per resident. Water and other utilities ($31.7 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Lexington is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$1,201 per resident in 2022: more than 86% of them
Lexington’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,201 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 341 Kentucky cities that don’t run their own schools: the median was $570, and the middle half spent $307–$890. Lexington spent more than 86% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($63.9 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 →
Kentucky cities that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Lexington itself left out).
About $1,846 per resident a year, or $5.06 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: administration & buildings, at 29%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is up 52% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Lexington 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: $1,201 · 2023: $1,437 · 2024: $1,846.
full-time in March 2025, up from 3,398 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 $2,542 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.87% of the home’s value, vs 0.75% across Kentucky.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Lexington’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 Lexington’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Lexington →
Who’s in charge in Lexington
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time city employee for every 87 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 (320,347).
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.
Fayette County School District
Lexington’s K–12 school district. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $18,742 per pupil, $10,641 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.
Kentucky districts overall: 37% local, 46% state, 17% federal.
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
How Lexington voted in 2024
Official results for Lexington’s own voters, as certified after the November 5, 2024 general election, with the county and the state beside them.
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat57.9%83,387 votes
Donald J TrumpRepublican39.8%57,344 votesOthers: 2.2% (3,201 votes).
Most votes in Lexington: Kamala D Harris
Fayette County: Harris 57.9%, Trump 39.8% · Kentucky: Trump 64.5%, Harris 33.9%
of Lexington’s 234,839 adult citizens voted for president in 2024. Across Kentucky: 61%.
Votes ÷ citizens of voting age (Census CVAP, 2020–24 ACS).
Most votes in the district: Andy Barr
Whole-district result
President, 2024: Lexington, its county and the state
| Harris | Trump | Others | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lexington | 57.9% | 39.8% | 2.2% | 143,932 |
| Fayette County | 57.9% | 39.8% | 2.2% | 143,932 |
| Kentucky | 33.9% | 64.5% | 1.6% | 2,074,530 |
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
Lexington sends 8 representatives to the Kentucky House alone.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilLocal officials aren’t on record yet.
- 2Kentucky HouseLexington is split between 8 districts
- 3Kentucky SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Kentucky
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
Reach Lexington’s government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about Lexington’s government
How much does Lexington spend per resident?
About $1,846 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 $1,201 was more than 86% of 341 Kentucky cities that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Lexington?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $2,542 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.87% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.75% across Kentucky. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see the city’s assessor.
Who runs Lexington’s government?
We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Lexington yet.
How did Lexington vote in 2024?
For president, Kamala D Harris 57.9%, Donald J Trump 39.8% (143,932 votes, official results). Fayette County: Harris 57.9%, Trump 39.8%. Kentucky: Trump 64.5%, Harris 33.9%.
How many people work for Lexington?
3,689 full-time and 478 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $25.9M (about $311.0M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Lexington in the state legislature?
Lexington is split among 8 State House districts and 7 State Senate districts, so your address decides. The Kentucky Legislature’s lookup finds yours. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Lexington’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 →