Photo: Public domain · Public domainCapitan spent less per resident in 2022 than 71% of similar cities
Capitan’s village government spent $1.4 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2023, about $1,031 per resident. Water and other utilities ($710,000) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Capitan is run
Read from the village’s budget and official records.
$898 per resident in 2022: less than 71% of them
Capitan’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($898 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 28 New Mexico cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,528, and the middle half spent $804–$2,395. Capitan spent less than 71% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($58,000), as the Census Bureau counts them. Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →
New Mexico cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Capitan itself left out).
About $1,031 per resident a year, or $2.82 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: roads & transportation, at 38%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is up 11% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Capitan 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: $898 · 2023: $1,031.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $571 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.51% of the home’s value, vs 0.70% across New Mexico.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Capitan’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 Capitan’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Capitan →
Who’s in charge in Capitan
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Capitan’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The village posts agendas and minutes on villageofcapitan.org ↗.
One full-time village employee for every 83 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 (1,405).
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.
Capitan Municipal Schools
Capitan’s K–12 school district. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $20,350 per pupil, $12,811 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.
New Mexico districts overall: 17% local, 64% state, 20% federal.
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Capitan’s votes are counted by county
New Mexico reports official results by county and precinct, not by village, so there are no official results for Capitan alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Lincoln County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican69.3%6,942 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat30.3%3,033 votesOthers: 0.5% (47 votes).
Most votes in Lincoln County: Donald J Trump
New Mexico: Harris 51.9%, Trump 45.9%
100% of Capitan lies in Lincoln County. Every 2024 race in Lincoln County is on the county’s page.
Lincoln 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 Capitan.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: villageofcapitan.org ↗
- 2New Mexico HouseState representatives
- 3New Mexico SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of New Mexico
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
Reach Capitan’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Capitan’s government
How much does Capitan spend per resident?
About $1,031 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 $898 was less than 71% of 28 New Mexico cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Capitan?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $571 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.51% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.70% across New Mexico. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see villageofcapitan.org.
Who runs Capitan’s government?
See villageofcapitan.org for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Capitan yet.
How did Capitan vote in 2024?
New Mexico counts votes by county and precinct, not by village, so there are no official results for Capitan alone. Lincoln County, where 100% of Capitan lies, voted Trump 69.3%, Harris 30.3% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Capitan?
17 full-time and 12 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $69,821 (about $837,852 a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Capitan in the state legislature?
State Senate District 33 (Rex Wilson) and State House District 56 (Harlan Vincent). The House district also covers six other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Capitan’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 →