Photo: IraEskins · CC BY-SA 3.0Holden Beach spent more per resident in 2022 than 100% of similar cities
Holden Beach’s town government spent $7.4 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, about $7,919 per resident. Water and other utilities ($2.4 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Holden Beach is run
Read from the town’s budget and official records.
$44,049 per resident in 2022: more than 100% of them
Holden Beach’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($44,049 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–$1,295. Holden Beach spent more than 100% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($1.1 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 →
North Carolina cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Holden Beach itself left out).
About $7,919 per resident a year, or $21.70 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 20%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is down 75% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Holden Beach 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: $44,049 · 2024: $7,919. Per resident it went from $44,049 to $7,919 (down 82%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 675 to 936.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $3,620 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.55% 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 Holden Beach’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 Holden Beach’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Holden Beach →
Who’s in charge in Holden Beach
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Holden Beach’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The town posts agendas and minutes on hbtownhall.com ↗.
One full-time town employee for every 28 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 (936).
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.
Brunswick County Schools
Holden Beach’s K–12 school district, shared with Bald Head Island, Belville, Boiling Spring Lakes, Bolivia, Calabash and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $13,563 per pupil, $7,787 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.
Holden Beach’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 Holden Beach alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Brunswick County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican61.9%67,658 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat37.1%40,557 votesOthers: 1.1% (1,163 votes).
Most votes in Brunswick County: Donald J Trump
North Carolina: Trump 50.9%, Harris 47.6%
100% of Holden Beach lies in Brunswick County. Every 2024 race in Brunswick County is on the county’s page.
Brunswick 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 Holden Beach.
- 1Your townTown governmentOfficials: hbtownhall.com ↗
- 2North Carolina HouseHolden Beach is split between 2 districts
- 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 Holden Beach’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Holden Beach’s government
How much does Holden Beach spend per resident?
About $7,919 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 $44,049 was more than 100% of 221 North Carolina cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Holden Beach?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $3,620 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.55% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.66% across North Carolina. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see hbtownhall.com.
Who runs Holden Beach’s government?
See hbtownhall.com for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Holden Beach yet.
How did Holden Beach vote in 2024?
North Carolina counts votes by county and precinct, not by town, so there are no official results for Holden Beach alone. Brunswick County, where 100% of Holden Beach lies, voted Trump 61.9%, Harris 37.1% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Holden Beach?
33 full-time and 0 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $117,219 (about $1.4M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Holden Beach in the state legislature?
Holden Beach is split among 2 State House districts, so your address decides. The North Carolina Legislature’s lookup finds yours. Its State Senate district is District 8 (Bill Rabon). Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Holden Beach’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 →