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Winchester Kentucky CourthousePhoto: Joshua Reed · Public domain
Town Hall · Winchester

Winchester spent more per resident in 2022 than 84% of similar cities

Winchester’s city government spent $31.5 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, about $1,643 per resident. Water and other utilities ($5.6 million) are counted separately.

Town website
Election Day

Today

General election in Kentucky.

Register or check: vote.gov ↗
Day-to-day spending, 2024
$31.5M
year to June 30, 2024
Per resident, 2024
$1,643
In 2022: $1,314, more than 84% of 19 similar cities
Long-term debt
$194.1M
end of FY2024, reported
City staff, 2025
248
full-time · 37 part-time · March payroll $1.4M · Census estimate
Typical tax bill
$1,362
0.72% of home value · KY 0.75%

What stands out about how Winchester is run

Read from the city’s budget and official records.

Compared with similar places

$1,314 per resident in 2022: more than 84% of them

Winchester’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,314 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. Winchester spent more than 84% of them.

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

Includes sewer and trash ($8.2 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 →

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; Winchester itself left out).

Your share of the 2024 budget

About $1,643 per resident a year, or $4.50 a day

Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 32%.

Where the money comes from
Fees & charges 37%Income taxes 22%Utility sales 12%Sales taxes 10%Property taxes 5%From the federal government 5%From other local governments 4%From the state 3%Interest, fines & other 1%Other taxes & licenses 1%
Not in the receipt.Building projects $6 million; interest on debt $1.4 million; payments to other governments $2.3 million. With these and the enterprises, the whole budget was $46.9 million.
Over the years

Day-to-day spending is up 28% since 2022

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

Day-to-day spending by fiscal year

2022$24.5 million
2023$27.8 million
2024$31.5 million

Per resident: 2022: $1,314 · 2023: $1,456 · 2024: $1,643.

City staff
248

full-time in March 2025, up from 203 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.

Property tax

The typical homeowner pays $1,362 a year

Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.72% of the home’s value, vs 0.75% across Kentucky.

What homes cost →

Typical yearly bill next door and statewide

Kentucky$1,544
Winchester$1,362
$1,362
typical bill a year
0.72%
effective rate
$188,300
typical home value (Census)
Your own bill

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

Who runs it

Who’s in charge in Winchester

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

See winchesterky.com for Winchester’s current officialsWe name an official only when a public source lists a current term. None does for Winchester yet.winchesterky.com ↗
Agendas

Winchester’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on winchesterky.com ↗.

Who works for Winchester

One full-time city employee for every 77 residents

On the payroll in March 2025, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll (a Census estimate). Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (19,142).

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

Fire70 + 14 pt
Police55 + 15 pt
Sewer & trash40
Housing & development21
Water & other utilities15 + 1 pt
Roads & transportation15
Administration & buildings12
Other20 + 7 pt
248
full-time
37
part-time
$1.4M
payroll for March 2025
$16.5M
a year, estimated (March × 12)
$65,100
average full-time pay, before benefits (March × 12)
36
sworn police officers
69
full-time firefighters
Compared, 2022.Winchester had 10.9 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: Winchester had more than 71% 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

Clark County School District

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

Schools in Winchester →
$14,277
per pupil · KY $14,752
5,390
students
$88.8 million
long-term debt

Of the $14,277 per pupil, $7,831 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 37%State 45%Federal 19%

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

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

Elections · 2024 general election

Winchester’s votes are counted by county

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

President · Clark County’s results17,885 votes · results as certified
Donald J TrumpDonald J TrumpRepublican66.8%11,950 votes
Kamala D HarrisKamala D HarrisDemocrat31.5%5,639 votes

Others: 1.7% (296 votes).

Most votes in Clark County: Donald J Trump

Kentucky: Trump 64.5%, Harris 33.9%

The county’s page

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

Clark 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 Winchester

From town hall to Washington

Every level of government that speaks for Winchester.

2024 results ↑
  1. 1
    Your cityMayor & council
  2. 2
    Kentucky HouseState representatives
  3. 3
    Kentucky SenateState senator
  4. 4
    GovernorStatewide
  5. 5
    U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
  6. 6
    U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Kentucky

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

Reach Winchester’s government

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

The Handbook →

Questions about Winchester’s government

How much does Winchester spend per resident?

About $1,643 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 $1,314 was more than 84% of 19 Kentucky cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools.

What is the property tax rate in Winchester?

Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,362 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.72% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.75% across Kentucky. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see winchesterky.com.

Who runs Winchester’s government?

See winchesterky.com for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Winchester yet.

How did Winchester vote in 2024?

Kentucky counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Winchester alone. Clark County, where 100% of Winchester lies, voted Trump 66.8%, Harris 31.5% for president; its page has every race.

How many people work for Winchester?

248 full-time and 37 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $1.4M (about $16.5M a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.

Who represents Winchester in the state legislature?

State Senate District 28 (Greg Elkins) and State House District 73 (Ryan Dotson). The House district also covers parts of 1 neighboring town. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.

Ask neighbors about Winchester’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 →