Watson-Sanders House · Photo: LikeGrantTookRichmond · CC BY-SA 3.0How is Smithfield run?
Smithfield’s town government spent $15 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2023, about $1,290 per resident. Water and other utilities ($20.5 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Smithfield is run
Read from the town’s budget and official records.
About $1,290 per resident a year, or $3.53 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 33%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$960 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Smithfield’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($960 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. Smithfield spent less than 56% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($1.6 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; Smithfield itself left out).
Day-to-day spending is up 17% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Smithfield 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: $960 · 2023: $1,290. Per resident it went from $960 to $1,290 (up 34%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 13,333 to 11,630.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $2,069 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.85% 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 Smithfield’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 Smithfield’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Smithfield →
Who’s in charge in Smithfield
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Smithfield’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The town posts agendas and minutes on smithfield-nc.com ↗.
One full-time town employee for every 81 residents
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2023 finance file (11,630).
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.
Johnston County Schools
Smithfield’s K–12 school district, shared with Archer Lodge, Four Oaks, Micro, Pine Level, Princeton and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $12,420 per pupil, $7,936 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.
Smithfield’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 Smithfield alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Johnston County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican60.1%74,878 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat38.6%48,116 votesOthers: 1.4% (1,684 votes).
Most votes in Johnston County: Donald J Trump
North Carolina: Trump 50.9%, Harris 47.6%
100% of Smithfield lies in Johnston County. Every 2024 race in Johnston County is on the county’s page.
Johnston 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 Smithfield.
- 1Your townTown governmentOfficials: smithfield-nc.com ↗
- 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 Smithfield compares with the towns next door
Smithfield spent $960 per resident in 2022; the neighbor that reported 2022 spent $760. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Selma | $760 | $1,356 |
| Smithfield | $960 | $2,069 |
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 Smithfield’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Smithfield’s government
How much does Smithfield spend per resident?
About $1,290 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2023, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $960 was less 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 Smithfield?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $2,069 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.85% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.66% across North Carolina. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see smithfield-nc.com.
Who runs Smithfield’s government?
See smithfield-nc.com for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Smithfield yet.
How did Smithfield vote in 2024?
North Carolina counts votes by county and precinct, not by town, so there are no official results for Smithfield alone. Johnston County, where 100% of Smithfield lies, voted Trump 60.1%, Harris 38.6% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Smithfield?
143 full-time and 99 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $677,515 (about $8.1M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Smithfield in the state legislature?
State Senate District 10 (Benton Sawrey) and State House District 28 (Larry Strickland). The House district also covers eight other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Smithfield’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 →