Photo: Brian Stansberry (photographer) · CC BY 4.0Mills River spent less per resident in 2022 than 75% of similar cities
Mills River’s town government spent $5.4 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, about $748 per resident.
What stands out about how Mills River is run
Read from the town’s budget and official records.
$514 per resident in 2022: less than 75% of them
Mills River’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($514 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 119 North Carolina cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $984, and the middle half spent $470–$1,448. Mills River spent less than 75% of them.
Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →
North Carolina cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Mills River itself left out).
About $748 per resident a year, or $2.05 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: fire, at 43%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is up 41% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Mills River 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: $514 · 2024: $748.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $2,199 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.50% 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 Mills River’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 Mills River’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Mills River →
Who’s in charge in Mills River
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Mills River’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The town posts agendas and minutes on millsriver.org ↗.
One full-time town employee for every 801 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 (7,206).
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.
Henderson County Schools
Mills River’s K–12 school district, shared with Flat Rock, Fletcher, Hendersonville, Laurel Park. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $12,051 per pupil, $7,653 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.
Mills River’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 Mills River alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Henderson County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican56.4%39,497 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat42.0%29,361 votesOthers: 1.6% (1,116 votes).
Most votes in Henderson County: Donald J Trump
North Carolina: Trump 50.9%, Harris 47.6%
100% of Mills River lies in Henderson County. Every 2024 race in Henderson County is on the county’s page.
Henderson 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 Mills River.
- 1Your townTown governmentOfficials: millsriver.org ↗
- 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 Mills River compares with the towns next door
Mills River spent $514 per resident in 2022; the 2 neighbors that reported 2022 spent $776 to $1,551. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
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 Mills River’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Mills River’s government
How much does Mills River spend per resident?
About $748 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 $514 was less than 75% of 119 North Carolina cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Mills River?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $2,199 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.50% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.66% across North Carolina. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see millsriver.org.
Who runs Mills River’s government?
See millsriver.org for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Mills River yet.
How did Mills River vote in 2024?
North Carolina counts votes by county and precinct, not by town, so there are no official results for Mills River alone. Henderson County, where 100% of Mills River lies, voted Trump 56.4%, Harris 42.0% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Mills River?
9 full-time and 1 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $41,956 (about $503,472 a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Mills River in the state legislature?
State Senate District 48 (Tim Moffitt) and State House District 117 (Jennifer Balkcom). The House district also covers three neighboring towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Mills River’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 →