Gaithersburg Latitude Observatory · Photo: BobDrzyzgula · Public domainHow is Gaithersburg run?
Gaithersburg’s city government spent $79.8 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, about $1,157 per resident. Water and other utilities ($2 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Gaithersburg is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
Montgomery County Public Schools
Gaithersburg’s K–12 school district, shared with Barnesville, Brookeville, Chevy Chase Section Five, Chevy Chase Section Three, Chevy Chase and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $20,107 per pupil, $12,531 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.
Maryland districts overall: 47% local, 44% state, 9% federal.
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
About $1,157 per resident a year, or $3.17 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: administration & buildings, at 27%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$840 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Gaithersburg’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($840 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 137 Maryland cities that don’t run their own schools: the median was $952, and the middle half spent $643–$1,349. Gaithersburg spent less than 59% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($3.9 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 →
Maryland cities that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Gaithersburg itself left out).
Day-to-day spending is up 40% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Gaithersburg 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: $840 · 2023: $920 · 2024: $1,157.
full-time in March 2025, up from 298 in 2022.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $4,817 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.97% of the home’s value, vs 0.97% across Maryland.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Gaithersburg’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 Gaithersburg’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Gaithersburg →
Who’s in charge in Gaithersburg
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Gaithersburg’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on gaithersburgmd.gov ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 213 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 (68,952).
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.
Gaithersburg’s votes are counted by county
Maryland reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Gaithersburg alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Montgomery County’s results.
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat74.5%386,581 votes
Donald J TrumpRepublican21.7%112,637 votesOthers: 3.9% (20,003 votes).
Most votes in Montgomery County: Kamala D Harris
Maryland: Harris 62.6%, Trump 34.1%
100% of Gaithersburg lies in Montgomery County. Every 2024 race in Montgomery County is on the county’s page.
Montgomery 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
Gaithersburg sends 6 representatives to the Maryland House alone.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: gaithersburgmd.gov ↗
- 2Maryland House of DelegatesGaithersburg is split between 2 districts
- 3Maryland SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Maryland
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
How Gaithersburg compares with the towns next door
Gaithersburg spent $840 per resident in 2022; the neighbor that reported 2022 spent $652. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Washington Grove | $652 | $6,023 |
| Gaithersburg | $840 | $4,817 |
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 Gaithersburg’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Gaithersburg’s government
How much does Gaithersburg spend per resident?
About $1,157 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 $840 was less than 59% of 137 Maryland cities that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Gaithersburg?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $4,817 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.97% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.97% across Maryland. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see gaithersburgmd.gov.
Who runs Gaithersburg’s government?
See gaithersburgmd.gov for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Gaithersburg yet.
How did Gaithersburg vote in 2024?
Maryland counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Gaithersburg alone. Montgomery County, where 100% of Gaithersburg lies, voted Harris 74.5%, Trump 21.7% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Gaithersburg?
323 full-time and 224 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $2.8M (about $33.4M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Gaithersburg in the state legislature?
Gaithersburg is split among 2 House of Delegates districts and 2 State Senate districts, so your address decides. The Maryland Legislature’s lookup finds yours. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Gaithersburg’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 →