Elon College Historic District · Photo: MPD01605 from Sterling, Virginia, United States, United States · CC BY-SA 2.0Elon spent less per resident in 2022 than 83% of similar cities
Elon’s town government spent $8.8 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, about $783 per resident. Water and other utilities ($4.5 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Elon is run
Read from the town’s budget and official records.
$568 per resident in 2022: less than 83% of them
Elon’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($568 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 36 North Carolina cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,150, and the middle half spent $819–$1,468. Elon spent less than 83% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($46,000), 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 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Elon itself left out).
About $783 per resident a year, or $2.15 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 31%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is up 27% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Elon 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: $568 · 2024: $783. Per resident it went from $568 to $783 (up 38%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 12,186 to 11,250.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $2,646 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.72% 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 Elon’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 Elon’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Elon →
Who’s in charge in Elon
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Elon’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The town posts agendas and minutes on elonnc.com ↗.
One full-time town employee for every 188 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 (11,250).
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.
Alamance-Burlington Schools
Elon’s K–12 school district, shared with Alamance, Graham, Green Level, Haw River, Ossipee and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $11,818 per pupil, $7,639 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.
Elon’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 Elon alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Alamance County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican53.4%47,937 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat45.2%40,624 votesOthers: 1.4% (1,270 votes).
Most votes in Alamance County: Donald J Trump
North Carolina: Trump 50.9%, Harris 47.6%
100% of Elon lies in Alamance County. Every 2024 race in Alamance County is on the county’s page.
Alamance 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 Elon.
- 1Your townTown governmentOfficials: elonnc.com ↗
- 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.
How Elon compares with the towns next door
Elon spent $568 per resident in 2022; the 2 neighbors that reported 2022 spent $5 to $1,044. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Gibsonville | $5 | $2,481 |
| Burlington | $1,044 | $1,489 |
| Elon | $568 | $2,646 |
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 Elon’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Elon’s government
How much does Elon spend per resident?
About $783 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 $568 was less than 83% of 36 North Carolina cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Elon?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $2,646 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.72% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.66% across North Carolina. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see elonnc.com.
Who runs Elon’s government?
See elonnc.com for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Elon yet.
How did Elon vote in 2024?
North Carolina counts votes by county and precinct, not by town, so there are no official results for Elon alone. Alamance County, where 100% of Elon lies, voted Trump 53.4%, Harris 45.2% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Elon?
60 full-time and 6 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $288,768 (about $3.5M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Elon in the state legislature?
State Senate District 25 (Amy Galey) and State House District 63 (Stephen Ross). The House district also covers six other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Elon’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 →