Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to Harrisburg

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in
Harrisburg ncPhoto: Harrisburg_11 · CC BY 2.0
Town Hall · Harrisburg

Harrisburg spent less per resident in 2022 than 69% of similar cities

Harrisburg’s town government spent $16.9 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, about $852 per resident. Water and other utilities ($2.4 million) are counted separately.

Town website
Next public meeting

Town Council

6:00 pm

All meetings →
Day-to-day spending, 2024
$16.9M
year to June 30, 2024
Per resident, 2024
$852
In 2022: $820, less than 69% of 36 similar cities
Long-term debt
$24.9M
end of FY2024, reported
Town staff, 2022
106
full-time · 51 part-time · March payroll $531,915
Typical tax bill
$3,391
0.71% of home value · NC 0.66%

What stands out about how Harrisburg is run

Read from the town’s budget, meetings and official records.

★ What stands out · Meetings

6 upcoming meetings at town hall

From Harrisburg’s own agenda portal, checked daily. Agendas can change up to the meeting, so check before you go.

Recent meetings

Go in person

Most meetings are open to the public, and many have a public comment period at the start.

Agenda portal ↗
Your share of the 2024 budget

About $852 per resident a year, or $2.33 a day

Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: fire, at 31%.

Where the money comes from
Property taxes 36%Fees & charges 19%Utility sales 18%Sales taxes 12%From the state 8%Interest, fines & other 7%Other taxes & licenses 1%
Not in the receipt.Building projects $4.9 million; interest on debt $718,000; payments to other governments $6.4 million. With these and the enterprises, the whole budget was $31.4 million.
Compared with similar places

$820 per resident in 2022: less than 69% of them

Harrisburg’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($820 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 $810–$1,468. Harrisburg spent less than 69% of them.

Middle half of the group, $810–$1,468Median $1,150Harrisburg

Includes sewer and trash ($4.1 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 →

The group
36

North Carolina cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Harrisburg itself left out).

Over the years

Day-to-day spending is up 22% since 2022

Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Harrisburg reported to the Census Bureau. Prices rose too: about 4% a year in 2022–2024.

Day-to-day spending by fiscal year

2022$13.8 million
2024$16.9 million

Per resident: 2022: $820 · 2024: $852. Per resident it went from $820 to $852 (up 4%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 16,852 to 19,822.

Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.

Property tax

The typical homeowner pays $3,391 a year

Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.71% of the home’s value, vs 0.66% across North Carolina.

What homes cost →

Typical yearly bill next door and statewide

Harrisburg$3,391
Charlotte$2,808
Concord$2,757
North Carolina$1,896
$3,391
typical bill a year
0.71%
effective rate
$478,000
typical home value (Census)
Your own bill

The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Harrisburg’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 Harrisburg’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Harrisburg →

Who runs it

Who’s in charge in Harrisburg

Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.

See harrisburgnc.org for Harrisburg’s current officialsWe name an official only when a public source lists a current term. None does for Harrisburg yet.harrisburgnc.org ↗
Who works for Harrisburg

One full-time town employee for every 187 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 (19,822).

By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2022

Fire45 + 3 pt
Parks & libraries12 + 39 pt
Administration & buildings20 + 8 pt
Roads & transportation11
Water & other utilities7
Sewer & trash5
Other6 + 1 pt
106
full-time
51
part-time
$531,915
payroll for March 2022
$6.4M
a year, estimated (March × 12)
$57,600
average full-time pay, before benefits (March × 12)
41
full-time firefighters
Compared, 2022.Harrisburg had 6.3 full-time staff per 1,000 residents in March 2022. The median for the 32 of the 36 North Carolina cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools that reported 2022 staff was 10.6: Harrisburg had fewer than 75% of them. Same group and year as the budget comparison.

The Census reports one month’s payroll (March); yearly figures are that month × 12, an estimate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.

The school district

Cabarrus County Schools

Harrisburg’s K–12 school district, shared with Mount Pleasant, Midland, Concord, Kannapolis. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.

Schools in Harrisburg →
$11,026
per pupil · NC $13,045
35,021
students
$187.5 million
long-term debt

Of the $11,026 per pupil, $6,781 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.

The district: schools, scores and graduation →

Where the district’s money comes from
Local 34%State 57%Federal 9%

North Carolina districts overall: 26% local, 57% state, 17% federal.

School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.

Elections · 2024 general election

Harrisburg’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 Harrisburg alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Cabarrus County’s results.

President · Cabarrus County’s results120,202 votes · results as certified
Donald J TrumpDonald J TrumpRepublican53.0%63,746 votes
Kamala D HarrisKamala D HarrisDemocrat45.3%54,494 votes

Others: 1.6% (1,962 votes).

Most votes in Cabarrus County: Donald J Trump

North Carolina: Trump 50.9%, Harris 47.6%

The county’s page

100% of Harrisburg lies in Cabarrus County. Every 2024 race in Cabarrus County is on the county’s page.

Cabarrus County’s 2024 results →
DemocratRepublicanLibertarianIndependent / other

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.

Who represents Harrisburg

From town hall to Washington

Every level of government that speaks for Harrisburg.

2024 results ↑
  1. 1
    Your townTown government
  2. 2
    North Carolina HouseHarrisburg is split between 2 districts
  3. 3
    North Carolina SenateState senator
  4. 4
    GovernorStatewide
  5. 5
    U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
  6. 6
    U.S. SenateBoth represent all of North Carolina

Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.

Next door

How Harrisburg compares with the towns next door

Harrisburg spent $820 per resident in 2022; the 2 neighbors that reported 2022 spent $1,263 to $1,282. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.

Spends the leastSpends the mostEstimate or no figures
TownDay-to-day, per resident (2022)Tax bill
Charlotte$1,263$2,808
Concord$1,282$2,757
Harrisburg$820$3,391

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 Harrisburg’s government

The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.

The Handbook →

Questions about Harrisburg’s government

How much does Harrisburg spend per resident?

About $852 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 $820 was less than 69% of 36 North Carolina cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools.

What is the property tax rate in Harrisburg?

Homeowners report a typical bill of $3,391 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.71% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.66% across North Carolina. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see harrisburgnc.org.

Who runs Harrisburg’s government?

See harrisburgnc.org for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Harrisburg yet.

How did Harrisburg vote in 2024?

North Carolina counts votes by county and precinct, not by town, so there are no official results for Harrisburg alone. Cabarrus County, where 100% of Harrisburg lies, voted Trump 53.0%, Harris 45.3% for president; its page has every race.

How many people work for Harrisburg?

106 full-time and 51 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $531,915 (about $6.4M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.

Who represents Harrisburg in the state legislature?

Harrisburg is split among 2 State House districts and 2 State Senate districts, so your address decides. The North Carolina Legislature’s lookup finds yours. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.

When is the next public meeting in Harrisburg?

The next posted meeting is Town Council on Monday, November 9, at 6:00 pm, from the town’s own agenda portal.

Ask neighbors about Harrisburg’s government

Neighbors who’ve been to the meetings can help.

Town Square →
Ask neighbors

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 →