How is Oak City run?
Oak City’s city government spent $176,000 on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, about $669 per resident. Water and other utilities ($457,000) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Oak City is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
About $669 per resident a year, or $1.83 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: administration & buildings, at 31%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$630 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Oak City’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($630 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 $803, and the middle half spent $425–$1,365. Oak City spent less than 60% of 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; Oak City itself left out).
Day-to-day spending has held about steady since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Oak City 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: $630 · 2024: $669. Per resident it went from $630 to $669 (up 6%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 281 to 263.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $1,043 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.09% 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 Oak City’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 Oak City’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Oak City →
Who’s in charge in Oak City
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Martin County Schools
Oak City’s K–12 school district, shared with Bear Grass, Everetts, Hamilton, Hassell, Jamesville and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $16,335 per pupil, $9,580 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.
Oak City’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 Oak City alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Martin County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican54.8%6,601 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat44.5%5,360 votesOthers: 0.7% (79 votes).
Most votes in Martin County: Donald J Trump
North Carolina: Trump 50.9%, Harris 47.6%
100% of Oak City lies in Martin County. Every 2024 race in Martin County is on the county’s page.
Martin 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 Oak City.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilLocal officials aren’t on record yet.
- 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.
Reach Oak City’s government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about Oak City’s government
How much does Oak City spend per resident?
About $669 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 $630 was less than 60% of 221 North Carolina cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Oak City?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,043 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.09% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.66% across North Carolina. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see the city’s assessor.
Who runs Oak City’s government?
We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Oak City yet.
How did Oak City vote in 2024?
North Carolina counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Oak City alone. Martin County, where 100% of Oak City lies, voted Trump 54.8%, Harris 44.5% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Oak City?
0 full-time and 8 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $4,231 (about $50,772 a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Oak City in the state legislature?
State Senate District 2 (Norman Sanderson) and State House District 23 (Shelly Willingham). The House district also covers 26 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Oak City’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 →