Photo: Pi.1415926535 · CC BY-SA 4.0Murray runs its own hospital
Murray’s city government spent $11.9 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, about $678 per resident. It also runs a hospital ($156.7 million) and water utilities ($43 million), counted separately. Census Bureau figures.
What stands out about how Murray is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
About $678 per resident a year, or $1.86 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 32%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$572 per resident in 2022: less than 79% of them
Murray’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($572 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 19 Kentucky cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $763, and the middle half spent $596–$1,106. Murray spent less than 79% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($3.3 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 of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Murray itself left out).
Day-to-day spending is up 7% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Murray 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: $572 · 2023: $634 · 2024: $678. Per resident it went from $572 to $678 (up 19%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 19,437 to 17,522.
full-time in March 2025 (hospital, health & welfare left out), down from 166 in 2022. Both are Census estimates.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $1,535 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.79% 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 Murray’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 Murray’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Murray →
Who’s in charge in Murray
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Murray’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on murrayky.gov ↗.
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 2024 finance file (17,522).
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.
Calloway County School District
Murray’s K–12 school district, shared with Hazel. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $13,107 per pupil, $8,112 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.
Murray Independent School District · $15,282 per pupil
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Murray’s votes are counted by county
Kentucky reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Murray alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Calloway County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican68.1%11,539 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat30.2%5,111 votesOthers: 1.7% (295 votes).
Most votes in Calloway County: Donald J Trump
Kentucky: Trump 64.5%, Harris 33.9%
100% of Murray lies in Calloway County. Every 2024 race in Calloway County is on the county’s page.
Calloway 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 Murray.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: murrayky.gov ↗
- 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.
Reach Murray’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Murray’s government
How much does Murray spend per resident?
About $678 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, as reported to the Census Bureau. Murray also runs a hospital ($156.7 million), counted separately. In 2022, the last full count, its $572 was less than 79% of 19 Kentucky cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Murray?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,535 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.79% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.75% across Kentucky. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see murrayky.gov.
Who runs Murray’s government?
See murrayky.gov for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Murray yet.
How did Murray vote in 2024?
Kentucky counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Murray alone. Calloway County, where 100% of Murray lies, voted Trump 68.1%, Harris 30.2% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Murray?
163 full-time and 364 part-time employees in March 2025 (plus 816 full-time hospital, health & welfare staff), with a March payroll of $7.2M (about $87.0M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Murray in the state legislature?
State Senate District 1 (Jason Howell) and State House District 5 (Mary Beth Imes). The House district also covers two neighboring towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Murray’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 →