Photo: Charlotte Jackson · CC BY 4.0How is Hagerstown run?
Hagerstown’s city government spent $86.5 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, about $1,979 per resident. Water and other utilities ($39.8 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Hagerstown is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
About $1,979 per resident a year, or $5.42 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: administration & buildings, at 27%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$1,426 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Hagerstown’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,426 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 19 Maryland cities of 25,000–49,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,345, and the middle half spent $1,230–$1,544. Hagerstown spent more than 63% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($15.7 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 of 25,000–49,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Hagerstown itself left out).
Day-to-day spending is up 52% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Hagerstown 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: $1,426 · 2023: $1,501 · 2024: $1,979. Per resident it went from $1,426 to $1,979 (up 39%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 39,918 to 43,701.
full-time in March 2025, up from 383 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 $2,585 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.15% 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 Hagerstown’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 Hagerstown’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Hagerstown →
Who’s in charge in Hagerstown
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Hagerstown’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on hagerstownmd.org ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 102 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 (43,701).
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.
Washington County Public Schools
Hagerstown’s K–12 school district, shared with Boonsboro, Clear Spring, Funkstown, Hancock, Keedysville and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $17,516 per pupil, $10,487 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.
Hagerstown’s votes are counted by county
Maryland reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Hagerstown alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Washington County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican60.1%44,054 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat37.2%27,260 votesOthers: 2.8% (2,018 votes).
Most votes in Washington County: Donald J Trump
Maryland: Harris 62.6%, Trump 34.1%
100% of Hagerstown lies in Washington County. Every 2024 race in Washington County is on the county’s page.
Washington 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 Hagerstown.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: hagerstownmd.org ↗
- 2Maryland House of DelegatesState representatives
- 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 Hagerstown compares with the towns next door
Hagerstown spent $1,426 per resident in 2022; the neighbor that reported 2022 spent $448. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Funkstown | $448 | $1,997 |
| Hagerstown | $1,426 | $2,585 |
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 Hagerstown’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Hagerstown’s government
How much does Hagerstown spend per resident?
About $1,979 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 $1,426 was more than 63% of 19 Maryland cities of 25,000–49,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Hagerstown?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $2,585 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.15% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.97% across Maryland. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see hagerstownmd.org.
Who runs Hagerstown’s government?
See hagerstownmd.org for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Hagerstown yet.
How did Hagerstown vote in 2024?
Maryland counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Hagerstown alone. Washington County, where 100% of Hagerstown lies, voted Trump 60.1%, Harris 37.2% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Hagerstown?
427 full-time and 47 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $2.5M (about $30.2M a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.
Who represents Hagerstown in the state legislature?
State Senate District 2 (Paul Corderman) and House of Delegates District 2B (Matthew Schindler). Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Hagerstown’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 →