Photo: Nyttend · Public domainPaintsville spent more per resident in 2022 than 95% of similar cities
Paintsville’s city government spent $9.8 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, about $2,321 per resident. Water and other utilities ($5.9 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Paintsville is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$2,014 per resident in 2022: more than 95% of them
Paintsville’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($2,014 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 $686, and the middle half spent $519–$957. Paintsville spent more than 95% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($2.2 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 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Paintsville itself left out).
About $2,321 per resident a year, or $6.36 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 32%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is up 23% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Paintsville 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: $2,014 · 2023: $2,112 · 2024: $2,321. Per resident it went from $2,014 to $2,321 (up 15%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 3,925 to 4,200.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $1,250 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.08% 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 Paintsville’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 Paintsville’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Paintsville →
Who’s in charge in Paintsville
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time city employee for every 52 residents
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (4,200).
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.
Johnson County School District
Paintsville’s K–12 school district. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $15,240 per pupil, $10,027 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.
Paintsville Independent School District · $14,885 per pupil
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Paintsville’s votes are counted by county
Kentucky reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Paintsville alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Johnson County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican84.7%8,150 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat14.0%1,350 votesOthers: 1.3% (122 votes).
Most votes in Johnson County: Donald J Trump
Kentucky: Trump 64.5%, Harris 33.9%
100% of Paintsville lies in Johnson County. Every 2024 race in Johnson County is on the county’s page.
Johnson 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 Paintsville.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilLocal officials aren’t on record yet.
- 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 Paintsville’s government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about Paintsville’s government
How much does Paintsville spend per resident?
About $2,321 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 $2,014 was more than 95% of 85 Kentucky cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Paintsville?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,250 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.08% 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 Paintsville’s government?
We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Paintsville yet.
How did Paintsville vote in 2024?
Kentucky counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Paintsville alone. Johnson County, where 100% of Paintsville lies, voted Trump 84.7%, Harris 14.0% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Paintsville?
81 full-time and 16 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $270,405 (about $3.2M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Paintsville in the state legislature?
State Senate District 31 (Phillip Wheeler) and State House District 97 (Bobby McCool). The House district also covers four other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Paintsville’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 →