Photo: Vasiliymeshko · CC BY-SA 4.0How is Roswell run?
Roswell’s city government spent $65.7 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2023, about $1,366 per resident. That is its newest year reported to the Census Bureau. Water and other utilities ($8.3 million) and the airport ($5.2 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Roswell is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
About $1,366 per resident a year, or $3.74 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 22%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$1,414 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Roswell’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,414 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 54 New Mexico cities that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,352, and the middle half spent $905–$2,116. Roswell spent more than 52% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($9.5 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 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Roswell itself left out).
Day-to-day spending is down 2% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Roswell 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: $1,414 · 2023: $1,366.
full-time in March 2025, up from 553 in 2022. Both are Census estimates.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $995 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.65% 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 Roswell’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 Roswell’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Roswell →
Who’s in charge in Roswell
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Roswell’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on roswell-nm.gov ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 84 residents
On the payroll in March 2025, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2023 finance file (48,081).
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.
Roswell Independent Schools
Roswell’s K–12 school district. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $16,694 per pupil, $9,451 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.
Roswell’s votes are counted by county
New Mexico reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Roswell alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Chaves County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican72.6%15,890 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat27.1%5,935 votesOthers: 0.3% (71 votes).
Most votes in Chaves County: Donald J Trump
New Mexico: Harris 51.9%, Trump 45.9%
100% of Roswell lies in Chaves County. Every 2024 race in Chaves County is on the county’s page.
Chaves 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 Roswell.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: roswell-nm.gov ↗
- 2New Mexico HouseRoswell is split between 4 districts
- 3New Mexico SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseSplit between districts
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of New Mexico
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
Reach Roswell’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Roswell’s government
How much does Roswell spend per resident?
About $1,366 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 $1,414 was more than 52% of 54 New Mexico cities that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Roswell?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $995 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.65% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.70% across New Mexico. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see roswell-nm.gov.
Who runs Roswell’s government?
See roswell-nm.gov for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Roswell yet.
How did Roswell vote in 2024?
New Mexico counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Roswell alone. Chaves County, where 100% of Roswell lies, voted Trump 72.6%, Harris 27.1% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Roswell?
570 full-time and 39 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $2.9M (about $35.1M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Roswell in the state legislature?
Roswell is split among 4 State House districts and 3 State Senate districts, so your address decides. The New Mexico Legislature’s lookup finds yours. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Roswell’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 →