Photo: rossograph · CC BY-SA 4.0Traverse City spent more per resident in 2022 than 96% of similar cities
Traverse City’s city government spent $85.8 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, about $5,465 per resident.
What stands out about how Traverse City is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$5,306 per resident in 2022: more than 96% of them
Traverse City’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($5,306 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 44 Michigan cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,874, and the middle half spent $1,414–$2,447. Traverse City spent more than 96% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($8.5 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 →
Michigan cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Traverse City itself left out).
About $5,465 per resident a year, or $14.97 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 11%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is up 3% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Traverse 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: $5,306 · 2023: $5,602 · 2024: $5,465.
full-time in March 2025, up from 194 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 $4,671 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.12% of the home’s value, vs 1.25% across Michigan.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Traverse 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 Traverse City’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Traverse City →
Who’s in charge in Traverse City
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Traverse City’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on traversecitymi.gov ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 65 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 (15,702).
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.
Traverse City Area Public Schools
Traverse City’s K–12 school district, shared with East Bay Township, Garfield Township, Long Lake Township, Peninsula Township, Elmwood Township and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $15,423 per pupil, $8,413 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.
Michigan districts overall: 34% local, 57% state, 9% federal.
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
How Traverse City voted in 2024
Official results for Traverse City’s own voters, as certified after the November 5, 2024 general election, with the county and the state beside them.
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat65.2%6,622 votes
Donald J TrumpRepublican33.2%3,376 votesOthers: 1.6% (163 votes).
Most votes in Traverse City: Kamala D Harris
Grand Traverse County: Trump 50.1%, Harris 48.3% · Michigan: Trump 49.7%, Harris 48.3%
of Traverse City’s 12,949 adult citizens voted for president in 2024. Across Michigan: 74%.
Votes ÷ citizens of voting age (Census CVAP, 2020–24 ACS).
Elissa SlotkinDemocrat64.6%
Mike RogersRepublican32.9%Most votes in Traverse City: Elissa Slotkin
Grand Traverse County: Rogers 49.8%, Slotkin 47.5% · Michigan: Slotkin 48.6%, Rogers 48.3%
Most votes in the district: Jack Bergman
Whole-district result
President, 2024: Traverse City, its county and the state
| Harris | Trump | Others | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Traverse City | 65.2% | 33.2% | 1.6% | 10,161 |
| Grand Traverse County | 48.3% | 50.1% | 1.6% | 62,772 |
| Michigan | 48.3% | 49.7% | 2.0% | 5,664,186 |
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; Elissa Slotkin: U.S. House portrait (congress-legislators project); Mike Rogers: U.S. House portrait (congress-legislators project). 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 Traverse City.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: traversecitymi.gov ↗
- 2Michigan HouseState representatives
- 3Michigan SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Michigan
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
How Traverse City compares with the towns next door
Traverse City spent $5,306 per resident in 2022. Most of its neighbors are townships, a different kind of government, so the like-for-like comparison is with similar cities, above. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| East Bay Township | $513 | $2,390 |
| Garfield Township | $573 | $2,914 |
| Peninsula Township | $658 | $6,092 |
| Elmwood Township | $673 | $2,814 |
| Traverse City | $5,306 | $4,671 |
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 Traverse City’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Traverse City’s government
How much does Traverse City spend per resident?
About $5,465 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 $5,306 was more than 96% of 44 Michigan cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Traverse City?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $4,671 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.12% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.25% across Michigan. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see traversecitymi.gov.
Who runs Traverse City’s government?
See traversecitymi.gov for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Traverse City yet.
How did Traverse City vote in 2024?
For president, Kamala D Harris 65.2%, Donald J Trump 33.2% (10,161 votes, official results). Grand Traverse County: Trump 50.1%, Harris 48.3%. Michigan: Trump 49.7%, Harris 48.3%.
How many people work for Traverse City?
242 full-time and 43 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $1.6M (about $18.7M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Traverse City in the state legislature?
State Senate District 37 (John Damoose) and State House District 103 (Betsy Coffia). The House district also covers 22 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Traverse 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 →