Photo: Calvin Beale · Public domainWaynesboro spent less per resident in 2022 than 82% of similar cities
Waynesboro’s city government spent $4.4 million on day-to-day services in the year to September 30, 2024, about $972 per resident. Water and other utilities ($675,000) and the airport ($137,000) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Waynesboro is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$775 per resident in 2022: less than 82% of them
Waynesboro’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($775 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 27 Mississippi cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $931, and the middle half spent $788–$1,109. Waynesboro spent less than 82% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($1.2 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 →
Mississippi cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Waynesboro itself left out).
About $972 per resident a year, or $2.66 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 34%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is up 17% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Waynesboro 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: $775 · 2024: $972. Per resident it went from $775 to $972 (up 25%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 4,866 to 4,530.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $836 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.97% of the home’s value, vs 0.72% across Mississippi.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Waynesboro’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 Waynesboro’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Waynesboro →
Who’s in charge in Waynesboro
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Waynesboro’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on waynesboroms.us ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 137 residents
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (4,530).
By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2022
The Census reports one month’s payroll (March); yearly figures are that month × 12, an estimate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.
Wayne County School District
Waynesboro’s K–12 school district, shared with State Line. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $12,210 per pupil, $7,375 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.
Mississippi districts overall: 33% local, 45% state, 23% federal.
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Waynesboro’s votes are counted by county
Mississippi reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Waynesboro alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Wayne County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican65.9%6,013 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat33.2%3,028 votesOthers: 0.9% (78 votes).
Most votes in Wayne County: Donald J Trump
Mississippi: Trump 60.9%, Harris 38.0%
100% of Waynesboro lies in Wayne County. Every 2024 race in Wayne County is on the county’s page.
Wayne 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 Waynesboro.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: waynesboroms.us ↗
- 2Mississippi HouseState representatives
- 3Mississippi SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Mississippi
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
Reach Waynesboro’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Waynesboro’s government
How much does Waynesboro spend per resident?
About $972 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to September 30, 2024, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $775 was less than 82% of 27 Mississippi cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Waynesboro?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $836 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.97% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.72% across Mississippi. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see waynesboroms.us.
Who runs Waynesboro’s government?
See waynesboroms.us for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Waynesboro yet.
How did Waynesboro vote in 2024?
Mississippi counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Waynesboro alone. Wayne County, where 100% of Waynesboro lies, voted Trump 65.9%, Harris 33.2% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Waynesboro?
33 full-time and 13 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $134,539 (about $1.6M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Waynesboro in the state legislature?
State Senate District 43 (Dennis DeBar) and State House District 86 (Shane Barnett). The House district also covers two neighboring towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Waynesboro’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 →