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Broadway - Paducah, KentuckyPhoto: Farragutful · CC BY-SA 4.0
Town Hall · Paducah

Paducah spent more per resident in 2022 than 90% of similar cities

Paducah’s city government spent $54 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, about $2,012 per resident. Water and other utilities ($82.1 million) are counted separately.

Town website
Election Day

Today

General election in Kentucky.

Register or check: vote.gov ↗
Day-to-day spending, 2024
$54.0M
year to June 30, 2024
Per resident, 2024
$2,012
In 2022: $1,924, more than 90% of 19 similar cities
Long-term debt
$195.8M
end of FY2024, reported
City staff, 2025
498
full-time · 49 part-time · March payroll $3.3M
Typical tax bill
$1,390
0.84% of home value · KY 0.75%

What stands out about how Paducah is run

Read from the city’s budget, meetings and official records.

Agendas posted online3 upcoming meetings posted, with agendas.Spends more than most similar citiesIn 2022: $1,924 per resident, more than 90% of 19 similar cities.Runs its own water & sewer64% of day-to-day spending goes to water, sewer and trash (2024).Split between districts3 State House districts cover Paducah; your street decides yours.
★ What stands out · Meetings

3 upcoming meetings at town hall

From Paducah’s own agenda portal, checked daily. Agendas can change up to the meeting, so check before you go.

Recent meetings

Go in person

Most meetings are open to the public, and many have a public comment period at the start.

Agenda portal ↗
Your share of the 2024 budget

About $2,012 per resident a year, or $5.51 a day

Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: administration & buildings, at 28%.

Where the money comes from
Utility sales 50%Income taxes 14%Fees & charges 9%Interest, fines & other 8%Sales taxes 5%Property taxes 4%From the federal government 4%From the state 3%Other taxes & licenses 1%From other local governments 1%
Not in the receipt.Building projects $34.7 million; interest on debt $6.3 million; payments to other governments $2.5 million. With these and the enterprises, the whole budget was $179.7 million.
Compared with similar places

$1,924 per resident in 2022: more than 90% of them

Paducah’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,924 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 $742, and the middle half spent $581–$1,064. Paducah spent more than 90% of them.

Middle half of the group, $581–$1,064Median $742Paducah

Includes sewer and trash ($4.1 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 →

The group
19

Kentucky cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Paducah itself left out).

Over the years

Day-to-day spending is up 13% since 2022

Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Paducah reported to the Census Bureau. Prices rose too: about 4% a year in 2022–2024.

Day-to-day spending by fiscal year

2022$47.9 million
2023$54.9 million
2024$54 million

Per resident: 2022: $1,924 · 2023: $2,090 · 2024: $2,012. Per resident it went from $1,924 to $2,012 (up 5%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 24,883 to 26,834.

City staff
498

full-time in March 2025, up from 488 in 2022.

Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.

Property tax

The typical homeowner pays $1,390 a year

Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.84% of the home’s value, vs 0.75% across Kentucky.

What homes cost →

Typical yearly bill next door and statewide

Massac$1,614
Kentucky$1,544
Hendron$1,519
Paducah$1,390
Farley$551
$1,390
typical bill a year
0.84%
effective rate
$165,300
typical home value (Census)
Your own bill

The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Paducah’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 Paducah’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Paducah →

Who runs it

Who’s in charge in Paducah

Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.

See paducahky.gov for Paducah’s current officialsWe name an official only when a public source lists a current term. None does for Paducah yet.paducahky.gov ↗
Who works for Paducah

One full-time city employee for every 54 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 (26,834).

By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2025

Water & other utilities116
Police103 + 1 pt
Fire73
Roads & transportation56 + 5 pt
Housing & development41 + 3 pt
Administration & buildings42
Parks & libraries21 + 31 pt
Sewer & trash19
Schools2 + 1 pt
Other25 + 8 pt
498
full-time
49
part-time
$3.3M
payroll for March 2025
$39.7M
a year, estimated (March × 12)
$78,700
average full-time pay, before benefits (March × 12)
93
sworn police officers
65
full-time firefighters
Compared, 2022.Paducah had 19.6 full-time staff per 1,000 residents in March 2022. The median for the 14 of the 19 Kentucky cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools that reported 2022 staff was 6.8: Paducah had more than 86% of them. Same group and year as the budget comparison.

The Census reports one month’s payroll (March); yearly figures are that month × 12, an estimate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.

The school district

Paducah Independent School District

Paducah’s K–12 school district. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.

Schools in Paducah →
$15,298
per pupil · KY $14,752
3,065
students
$36.5 million
long-term debt

Of the $15,298 per pupil, $8,575 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.

The district: schools, scores and graduation →

Where the district’s money comes from
Local 30%State 40%Federal 30%

Kentucky districts overall: 37% local, 46% state, 17% federal.

Also serving Paducah

McCracken County School District · $12,998 per pupil

School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.

Elections · 2024 general election

Paducah’s votes are counted by county

Kentucky reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Paducah alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are McCracken County’s results.

President · McCracken County’s results31,947 votes · results as certified
Donald J TrumpDonald J TrumpRepublican66.8%21,349 votes
Kamala D HarrisKamala D HarrisDemocrat31.9%10,191 votes

Others: 1.3% (407 votes).

Most votes in McCracken County: Donald J Trump

Kentucky: Trump 64.5%, Harris 33.9%

The county’s page

100% of Paducah lies in McCracken County. Every 2024 race in McCracken County is on the county’s page.

McCracken County’s 2024 results →
DemocratRepublicanLibertarianIndependent / other

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.

Who represents Paducah

From town hall to Washington

Every level of government that speaks for Paducah.

2024 results ↑
  1. 1
    Your cityMayor & council
    Officials: paducahky.gov ↗
  2. 2
    Kentucky HousePaducah is split between 3 districts
    Randy BridgesSteven RudyKim Holloway
  3. 3
    Kentucky SenateState senator
    Danny Carroll
  4. 4
    GovernorStatewide
    Andy Beshear
  5. 5
    U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
    James Comer
  6. 6
    U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Kentucky
    Mitch McConnellRand Paul
Find your state legislators by address ↗

Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.

Next door

How Paducah compares with the towns next door

Paducah spent $1,924 per resident in 2022. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.

Hendron: unincorporated, no town budgetMassac: unincorporated, no town budgetFarley: unincorporated, no town budgetHendronMassacFarleyPaducah
Spends the leastSpends the mostEstimate or no figures
TownDay-to-day, per resident (2022)Tax bill
Paducah$1,924$1,390

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 Paducah’s government

The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.

The Handbook →
Official websitepaducahky.gov ↗

Questions about Paducah’s government

How much does Paducah spend per resident?

About $2,012 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 $1,924 was more than 90% of 19 Kentucky cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools.

What is the property tax rate in Paducah?

Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,390 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.84% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.75% across Kentucky. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see paducahky.gov.

Who runs Paducah’s government?

See paducahky.gov for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Paducah yet.

How did Paducah vote in 2024?

Kentucky counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Paducah alone. McCracken County, where 100% of Paducah lies, voted Trump 66.8%, Harris 31.9% for president; its page has every race.

How many people work for Paducah?

498 full-time and 49 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $3.3M (about $39.7M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.

Who represents Paducah in the state legislature?

Paducah is split among 3 State House districts, so your address decides. The Kentucky Legislature’s lookup finds yours. Its State Senate district is District 2 (Danny Carroll). Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.

When is the next public meeting in Paducah?

The next posted meeting is City Commission on Tuesday, November 10, at 5:00 pm in 300 South 5th Street, from the city’s own agenda portal.

Ask neighbors about Paducah’s government

Neighbors who’ve been to the meetings can help.

Town Square →
Ask neighbors

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 →