Photo: Brian Stansberry · CC BY 4.0How is Newton run?
Newton’s city government spent $22.4 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, about $1,682 per resident. Water and other utilities ($19 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Newton is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
About $1,682 per resident a year, or $4.61 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 20%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$1,236 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Newton’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,236 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 $1,056, and the middle half spent $810–$1,468. Newton spent more than 56% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($2.9 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 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Newton itself left out).
Day-to-day spending is up 37% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Newton 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: $1,236 · 2023: $1,491 · 2024: $1,682.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $1,473 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.79% 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 Newton’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 Newton’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Newton →
Who’s in charge in Newton
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Newton’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on newtonnc.gov ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 73 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 (13,337).
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.
Catawba County Schools
Newton’s K–12 school district, shared with Catawba, Claremont, Maiden, Hickory, Conover. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $11,777 per pupil, $7,264 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.
Newton-Conover City Schools · $13,217 per pupil
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Newton’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 Newton alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Catawba County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican68.4%59,577 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat30.5%26,569 votesOthers: 1.1% (963 votes).
Most votes in Catawba County: Donald J Trump
North Carolina: Trump 50.9%, Harris 47.6%
100% of Newton lies in Catawba County. Every 2024 race in Catawba County is on the county’s page.
Catawba 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 Newton.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: newtonnc.gov ↗
- 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 Newton compares with the towns next door
Newton spent $1,236 per resident in 2022; the 2 neighbors that reported 2022 spent $1,176 to $1,511. 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 Newton’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Newton’s government
How much does Newton spend per resident?
About $1,682 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 $1,236 was more than 56% of 36 North Carolina cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Newton?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,473 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.79% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.66% across North Carolina. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see newtonnc.gov.
Who runs Newton’s government?
See newtonnc.gov for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Newton yet.
How did Newton vote in 2024?
North Carolina counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Newton alone. Catawba County, where 100% of Newton lies, voted Trump 68.4%, Harris 30.5% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Newton?
182 full-time and 13 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $871,444 (about $10.5M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Newton in the state legislature?
State Senate District 45 (Mark Hollo) and State House District 89 (Mitchell Setzer). The House district also covers six other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Newton’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 →