Captain Robert S. Craig Cottage · Photo: Linda Roy Walls · CC BY-SA 4.0Ocean City spent more per resident in 2022 than 100% of similar cities
Ocean City’s city government spent $119.8 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, about $17,323 per resident. Water and other utilities ($16 million) and the airport ($2.4 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Ocean City is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$14,535 per resident in 2022: more than 100% of them
Ocean City’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($14,535 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 37 Maryland cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $906, and the middle half spent $721–$1,264. Ocean City spent more than 100% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($19.2 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 →
Maryland cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Ocean City itself left out).
About $17,323 per resident a year, or $47.46 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 22%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is up 19% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Ocean City 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: $14,535 · 2023: $16,426 · 2024: $17,323.
full-time in March 2025, up from 555 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 $3,997 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.93% 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 Ocean City’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 Ocean City’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Ocean City →
Who’s in charge in Ocean City
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Ocean City’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on oceancitymd.gov ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 12 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 (6,915).
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.
Worcester County Public Schools
Ocean City’s K–12 school district, shared with Berlin, Pocomoke City, Snow Hill. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $24,221 per pupil, $14,909 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.
Ocean City’s votes are counted by county
Maryland reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Ocean City alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Worcester County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican59.7%19,632 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat37.8%12,431 votesOthers: 2.5% (818 votes).
Most votes in Worcester County: Donald J Trump
Maryland: Harris 62.6%, Trump 34.1%
100% of Ocean City lies in Worcester County. Every 2024 race in Worcester County is on the county’s page.
Worcester 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 Ocean City.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: oceancitymd.gov ↗
- 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.
Reach Ocean City’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Ocean City’s government
How much does Ocean City spend per resident?
About $17,323 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 $14,535 was more than 100% of 37 Maryland cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Ocean City?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $3,997 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.93% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.97% across Maryland. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see oceancitymd.gov.
Who runs Ocean City’s government?
See oceancitymd.gov for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Ocean City yet.
How did Ocean City vote in 2024?
Maryland counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Ocean City alone. Worcester County, where 100% of Ocean City lies, voted Trump 59.7%, Harris 37.8% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Ocean City?
601 full-time and 194 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $4.3M (about $51.4M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Ocean City in the state legislature?
State Senate District 38 (Mary Beth Carozza) and House of Delegates District 38C (Wayne Hartman). The House of Delegates district also covers three neighboring towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Ocean City’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 →