Photo: Alamance County NC · CC BY-SA 3.0How is Graham run?
Graham’s city government spent $30.9 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2023, about $1,791 per resident. Water and other utilities ($4.9 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Graham is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
About $1,791 per resident a year, or $4.91 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 51%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
No comparison or trend for Graham yet
The fair comparison uses 2022, the last year the Census Bureau counted every government (later years are a sample), and Graham’s 2022 figures are a Census estimate (it reported none of its 2022 dollars). It reported 2023 only (2022 is an estimate), so there is no trend yet either. The next full count is 2027.
How Town Hall compares budgets →The typical homeowner pays $1,570 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.67% 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 Graham’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 Graham’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Graham →
Who’s in charge in Graham
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Graham’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on cityofgraham.com ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 124 residents
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2023 finance file (17,273).
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
Graham’s K–12 school district, shared with Alamance, Elon, 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.
Graham’s votes are counted by county
North Carolina reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Graham 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 Graham 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 Graham.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: cityofgraham.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 Graham compares with the towns next door
Graham’s 2022 figures are a Census estimate, so it isn’t placed among them. Neighbors that reported 2022 spent $1,044 to $1,176 per resident. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Burlington | $1,044 | $1,489 |
| Haw River | $1,176 | $1,277 |
| Graham | estimate | $1,570 |
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 Graham’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Graham’s government
How much does Graham spend per resident?
About $1,791 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2023, as reported to the Census Bureau.
What is the property tax rate in Graham?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,570 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.67% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.66% across North Carolina. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see cityofgraham.com.
Who runs Graham’s government?
See cityofgraham.com for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Graham yet.
How did Graham vote in 2024?
North Carolina counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Graham alone. Alamance County, where 100% of Graham lies, voted Trump 53.4%, Harris 45.2% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Graham?
139 full-time and 37 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $667,795 (about $8.0M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Graham in the state legislature?
State Senate District 25 (Amy Galey) and State House District 64 (Dennis Riddell). The House district also covers five other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Graham’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 →