Ludlow Theater, The · Photo: Nyttend · Public domainHow is Ludlow run?
Ludlow’s city government spent $3 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2023, about $691 per resident.
What stands out about how Ludlow is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
One full-time city employee for every 208 residents
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2023 finance file (4,358).
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.
About $691 per resident a year, or $1.89 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: administration & buildings, at 37%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$607 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Ludlow’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($607 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 85 Kentucky cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $695, and the middle half spent $519–$1,027. Ludlow spent less than 59% of them.
Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →
Kentucky cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Ludlow itself left out).
Day-to-day spending is up 10% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Ludlow 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: $607 · 2023: $691.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $2,076 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.12% 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 Ludlow’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 Ludlow’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Ludlow →
Who’s in charge in Ludlow
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Ludlow’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on ludlow.org ↗.
Ludlow Independent School District
Ludlow’s K–12 school district. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $15,419 per pupil, $8,087 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.
Kenton County School District · $12,024 per pupil
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Ludlow’s votes are counted by county
Kentucky reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Ludlow alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Kenton County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican59.8%48,444 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat38.1%30,859 votesOthers: 2.0% (1,645 votes).
Most votes in Kenton County: Donald J Trump
Kentucky: Trump 64.5%, Harris 33.9%
100% of Ludlow lies in Kenton County. Every 2024 race in Kenton County is on the county’s page.
Kenton 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 Ludlow.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: ludlow.org ↗
- 2Kentucky HouseState representatives
- 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.
How Ludlow compares with the towns next door
Ludlow spent $607 per resident in 2022; the 2 neighbors that reported 2022 spent $882 to $1,357. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
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 Ludlow’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Ludlow’s government
How much does Ludlow spend per resident?
About $691 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2023, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $607 was less than 59% of 85 Kentucky cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Ludlow?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $2,076 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.12% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.75% across Kentucky. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see ludlow.org.
Who runs Ludlow’s government?
See ludlow.org for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Ludlow yet.
How did Ludlow vote in 2024?
Kentucky counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Ludlow alone. Kenton County, where 100% of Ludlow lies, voted Trump 59.8%, Harris 38.1% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Ludlow?
21 full-time and 21 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $121,636 (about $1.5M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Ludlow in the state legislature?
State Senate District 23 (Chris McDaniel) and State House District 63 (Kim Banta). The House district also covers eight other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Ludlow’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 →