Photo: formulanone from Huntsville, United States · CC BY-SA 2.0How is Cerro Gordo run?
Cerro Gordo’s town government spent $272,000 on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, about $2,015 per resident. Water and other utilities ($24,000) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Cerro Gordo is run
Read from the town’s budget and official records.
About $2,015 per resident a year, or $5.52 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: housing & development, at 44%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$826 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Cerro Gordo’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($826 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 221 North Carolina cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $800, and the middle half spent $425–$1,365. Cerro Gordo spent more than 52% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($24,000), as the Census Bureau counts them. Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →
North Carolina cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Cerro Gordo itself left out).
Day-to-day spending is up 69% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Cerro Gordo 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: $826 · 2024: $2,015. Per resident it went from $826 to $2,015 (up 144%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 195 to 135.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $2,319 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.22% of the home’s value, vs 0.66% across North Carolina.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Cerro Gordo’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. In a town this small the estimate has a wide margin.
Tax bills are one input to Cerro Gordo’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Cerro Gordo →
Who’s in charge in Cerro Gordo
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time town employee for every 23 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 (135).
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.
Columbus County Schools
Cerro Gordo’s K–12 school district, shared with Boardman, Bolton, Chadbourn, Fair Bluff, Lake Waccamaw and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $13,516 per pupil, $7,883 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.
North Carolina districts overall: 26% local, 57% state, 17% federal.
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Cerro Gordo’s votes are counted by county
North Carolina reports official results by county and precinct, not by town, so there are no official results for Cerro Gordo alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Columbus County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican66.4%17,996 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat33.0%8,948 votesOthers: 0.6% (166 votes).
Most votes in Columbus County: Donald J Trump
North Carolina: Trump 50.9%, Harris 47.6%
100% of Cerro Gordo lies in Columbus County. Every 2024 race in Columbus County is on the county’s page.
Columbus 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 Cerro Gordo.
- 1Your townTown governmentLocal officials aren’t on record yet.
- 2North Carolina HouseState representatives
- 3North Carolina SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of North Carolina
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
Reach Cerro Gordo’s government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about Cerro Gordo’s government
How much does Cerro Gordo spend per resident?
About $2,015 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 $826 was more than 52% of 221 North Carolina cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Cerro Gordo?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $2,319 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.22% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.66% across North Carolina. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see the town’s assessor.
Who runs Cerro Gordo’s government?
We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Cerro Gordo yet.
How did Cerro Gordo vote in 2024?
North Carolina counts votes by county and precinct, not by town, so there are no official results for Cerro Gordo alone. Columbus County, where 100% of Cerro Gordo lies, voted Trump 66.4%, Harris 33.0% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Cerro Gordo?
6 full-time and 3 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $21,640 (about $259,680 a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Cerro Gordo in the state legislature?
State Senate District 8 (Bill Rabon) and State House District 46 (Brenden Jones). The House district also covers 16 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Cerro Gordo’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 →