Photo: Hanyou23 · CC BY-SA 4.0How is Lincoln run?
Lincoln’s city government spent $313.7 million on day-to-day services in the year to August 31, 2024, about $1,072 per resident. Water and other utilities ($45.8 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Lincoln is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
Who’s in charge in Lincoln
From public records with a current term; a name is hidden the day its term ends.
Council members and agencies: lincoln.ne.gov/Home ↗
Lincoln’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on lincoln.ne.gov/Home ↗.
About $1,072 per resident a year, or $2.94 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 19%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$948 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Lincoln’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($948 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 521 Nebraska cities that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,070, and the middle half spent $802–$1,491. Lincoln spent less than 62% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($29 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 →
Nebraska cities that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Lincoln itself left out).
Day-to-day spending is up 14% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Lincoln 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: $948 · 2023: $1,007 · 2024: $1,072.
full-time in March 2025, up from 2,547 in 2022.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $4,023 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.52% of the home’s value, vs 1.49% across Nebraska.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Lincoln’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 Lincoln’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Lincoln →
One full-time city employee for every 106 residents
On the payroll in March 2025, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (292,627).
By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2025
The Census reports one month’s payroll (March); yearly figures are that month × 12, an estimate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.
Lincoln Public Schools
Lincoln’s K–12 school district. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $14,781 per pupil, $9,065 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.
Nebraska districts overall: 56% local, 34% state, 10% federal.
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Lincoln’s votes are counted by county
Nebraska reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Lincoln alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Lancaster County’s results.
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat51.4%81,012 votes
Donald J TrumpRepublican47.1%74,215 votesOthers: 1.5% (2,406 votes).
Most votes in Lancaster County: Kamala D Harris
Nebraska: Trump 59.3%, Harris 38.9%
100% of Lincoln lies in Lancaster County. Every 2024 race in Lancaster County is on the county’s page.
Lancaster 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 Lincoln.
- 1Your cityMayorLeirion Gaylor Bairdas listed by Open States, October 9, 2026
- 2Nebraska SenateState senator
- 3GovernorStatewide
- 4U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 5U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Nebraska
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
How Lincoln compares with the towns next door
No neighbor is close in size, so the comparison above uses Nebraska cities that don’t run their own schools. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Lincoln | $948 | $4,023 |
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 Lincoln’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Lincoln’s government
How much does Lincoln spend per resident?
About $1,072 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to August 31, 2024, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $948 was less than 62% of 521 Nebraska cities that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Lincoln?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $4,023 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.52% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.49% across Nebraska. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see lincoln.ne.gov/Home.
Who is the mayor of Lincoln?
Leirion Gaylor Baird, as listed by Open States (checked October 9, 2026). The council and agencies are listed on lincoln.ne.gov/Home.
How did Lincoln vote in 2024?
Nebraska counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Lincoln alone. Lancaster County, where 100% of Lincoln lies, voted Harris 51.4%, Trump 47.1% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Lincoln?
2,772 full-time and 414 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $22.0M (about $264.0M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Lincoln in the state legislature?
Lincoln is split among 9 State Senate districts, so your address decides. The Nebraska Legislature’s lookup finds yours. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Lincoln’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 →