Photo: Quintin Soloviev · CC BY 4.0How is Las Vegas run?
Las Vegas’ city government spent $16.7 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, about $1,283 per resident. Water and other utilities ($12.9 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Las Vegas is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
About $1,283 per resident a year, or $3.52 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 40%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$1,122 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Las Vegas’ day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,122 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 21 New Mexico cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,388, and the middle half spent $1,019–$1,690. Las Vegas spent less than 62% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($4.6 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 →
New Mexico cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Las Vegas itself left out).
Day-to-day spending is up 16% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Las Vegas 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: $1,122 · 2023: $1,200 · 2024: $1,283.
full-time in March 2025, up from 210 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 $1,121 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.72% 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 Las Vegas’ 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 Las Vegas’ Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Las Vegas →
Who’s in charge in Las Vegas
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Las Vegas’ meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on lasvegasnm.gov ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 56 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 (13,053).
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.
Las Vegas City Public Schools
Las Vegas’ K–12 school district. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $20,464 per pupil, $9,851 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.
West Las Vegas Public Schools · $19,150 per pupil
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Las Vegas’ votes are counted by county
New Mexico reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Las Vegas alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are San Miguel County’s results.
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat63.9%6,985 votes
Donald J TrumpRepublican35.6%3,887 votesOthers: 0.5% (53 votes).
Most votes in San Miguel County: Kamala D Harris
New Mexico: Harris 51.9%, Trump 45.9%
100% of Las Vegas lies in San Miguel County. Every 2024 race in San Miguel County is on the county’s page.
San Miguel 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 Las Vegas.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: lasvegasnm.gov ↗
- 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 Las Vegas’ government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Las Vegas’ government
How much does Las Vegas spend per resident?
About $1,283 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 $1,122 was less than 62% of 21 New Mexico cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Las Vegas?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,121 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.72% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.70% across New Mexico. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see lasvegasnm.gov.
Who runs Las Vegas’ government?
See lasvegasnm.gov for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Las Vegas yet.
How did Las Vegas vote in 2024?
New Mexico counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Las Vegas alone. San Miguel County, where 100% of Las Vegas lies, voted Harris 63.9%, Trump 35.6% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Las Vegas?
235 full-time and 11 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $1.2M (about $14.2M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Las Vegas in the state legislature?
State Senate District 8 (Pete Campos) and State House District 70 (Anita Gonzales). The House district also covers three neighboring towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Las Vegas’ 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 →