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Palace of the GovernorsPhoto: Tony Hisgett from Birmingham, UK · CC BY 2.0
Town Hall · Santa Fe

Santa Fe spent more per resident in 2022 than 80% of similar cities

Santa Fe’s city government spent $162.7 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2023, about $1,845 per resident. That is its newest year reported to the Census Bureau. Water and other utilities ($35.1 million) and the airport ($2.7 million) are counted separately.

Town website
Next public meeting

Public Works and Utilities Committee

5:00 pm · City Council Chambers, City Hall, 200 Lincoln Avenue

All meetings →
Day-to-day spending, 2023
$162.7M
year to June 30, 2023
Per resident, 2023
$1,845
In 2022: $2,179, more than 80% of 54 similar cities
Long-term debt
$214.8M
end of FY2023, reported
City staff, 2025
1,379
full-time · 53 part-time · March payroll $9.0M
Typical tax bill
$2,126
0.48% of home value · NM 0.70%

What stands out about how Santa Fe is run

Read from the city’s budget, meetings and official records.

Agendas posted online6 upcoming meetings posted, with agendas.Spends more than most similar citiesIn 2022: $2,179 per resident, more than 80% of 54 similar cities.Runs its own water & sewer25% of day-to-day spending goes to water, sewer and trash (2023).Split between districts5 State House districts cover Santa Fe; your street decides yours.
★ What stands out · Meetings

6 upcoming meetings at town hall

From Santa Fe’s own agenda portal, checked daily. Agendas can change up to the meeting, so check before you go.

Recent meetings

  • Oct29
    Archaeological Review CommitteeThursday · 4:30 pm · Councilors' Conference Room, City Hall, 200 Lincoln AvenueAgenda ↗Meeting page ↗
  • Oct28
    Governing BodyWednesday · 7:30 pm · City Council Chambers, 200 Lincoln AvenueEmergency Governing BodyAgenda ↗Meeting page ↗
  • Oct28
    Governing BodyWednesday · 5:00 pm · City Council Chambers, City Hall, 200 Lincoln AvenueRegular Governing Body Meeting - Last WednesdayAgenda ↗Meeting page ↗
  • Oct27
    Historic Districts Review BoardTuesday · 5:30 pm · City Council Chambers, City Hall, 200 Lincoln AvenueHistoric Districts Review Board MeetingAgenda ↗Meeting page ↗
  • Oct27
    Historic Districts Review Board Field TripTuesday · 12:00 pm · Historic Preservation Division, City Hall, 200 Lincoln AvenueAgenda ↗Meeting page ↗
Go in person

Most meetings are open to the public, and many have a public comment period at the start.

Agenda portal ↗
Your share of the 2023 budget

About $1,845 per resident a year, or $5.05 a day

Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: administration & buildings, at 19%.

Where the money comes from
Sales taxes 46%Fees & charges 20%Utility sales 15%From the federal government 8%From the state 5%Property taxes 3%Interest, fines & other 2%
Not in the receipt.Building projects $28.9 million; interest on debt $8.9 million; payments to other governments $144,000. With these and the enterprises, the whole budget was $242.7 million.
Compared with similar places

$2,179 per resident in 2022: more than 80% of them

Santa Fe’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($2,179 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–$2,063. Santa Fe spent more than 80% of them.

Middle half of the group, $905–$2,063Median $1,352Santa Fe

Includes sewer and trash ($7.4 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 →

The group
54

New Mexico cities that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Santa Fe itself left out).

Over the years

Day-to-day spending is down 12% since 2022

Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Santa Fe reported to the Census Bureau. Prices rose too: about 4% a year in 2022–2024.

Day-to-day spending by fiscal year

2022$185.2 million
2023$162.7 million

Per resident: 2022: $2,179 · 2023: $1,845.

City staff
1,379

full-time in March 2025, up from 1,295 in 2022.

Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.

Property tax

The typical homeowner pays $2,126 a year

Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.48% of the home’s value, vs 0.70% across New Mexico.

What homes cost →

Typical yearly bill next door and statewide

Tano Road$5,653
Hyde Park$5,313
Conejo$4,840
Santa Fe Foothills$4,611
Tres Arroyos$3,209
Tesuque$2,730
Santa Fe$2,126
La Cienega$1,985
New Mexico$1,731
Valle Vista$1,144
$2,126
typical bill a year
0.48%
effective rate
$444,900
typical home value (Census)
Your own bill

The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Santa Fe’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 Santa Fe’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Santa Fe →

Who runs it

Who’s in charge in Santa Fe

Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.

See santafenm.gov for Santa Fe’s current officialsWe name an official only when a public source lists a current term. None does for Santa Fe yet.santafenm.gov ↗
Who works for Santa Fe

One full-time city employee for every 64 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 (88,193).

By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2025

Parks & libraries213 + 44 pt
Police212
Fire197
Sewer & trash179
Administration & buildings164 + 1 pt
Water & other utilities89
Roads & transportation86 + 2 pt
Housing & development64
Health & welfare41 + 6 pt
Courts, inspections & corrections32
Other102
1,379
full-time
53
part-time
$9.0M
payroll for March 2025
$108.5M
a year, estimated (March × 12)
$77,900
average full-time pay, before benefits (March × 12)
168
sworn police officers
187
full-time firefighters
Compared, 2022.Santa Fe had 15.2 full-time staff per 1,000 residents in March 2022. The median for the 43 of the 54 New Mexico cities that don’t run their own schools that reported 2022 staff was 12.1: Santa Fe had more than 74% of them. Same group and year as the budget comparison.

The Census reports one month’s payroll (March); yearly figures are that month × 12, an estimate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.

The school district

Santa Fe Public Schools

Santa Fe’s K–12 school district. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.

Schools in Santa Fe →
$15,788
per pupil · NM $17,681
11,490
students
$218.7 million
long-term debt

Of the $15,788 per pupil, $9,129 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.

The district: schools, scores and graduation →

Where the district’s money comes from
Local 31%State 58%Federal 11%

New Mexico districts overall: 17% local, 64% state, 20% federal.

School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.

Elections · 2024 general election

Santa Fe’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 Santa Fe alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Santa Fe County’s results.

President · Santa Fe County’s results82,478 votes · results as certified
Kamala D HarrisKamala D HarrisDemocrat74.5%61,405 votes
Donald J TrumpDonald J TrumpRepublican24.8%20,457 votes

Others: 0.7% (616 votes).

Most votes in Santa Fe County: Kamala D Harris

New Mexico: Harris 51.9%, Trump 45.9%

The county’s page

100% of Santa Fe lies in Santa Fe County. Every 2024 race in Santa Fe County is on the county’s page.

Santa Fe County’s 2024 results →
DemocratRepublicanLibertarianIndependent / other

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.

Who represents Santa Fe

From town hall to Washington

Santa Fe sends 5 representatives to the New Mexico House alone.

2024 results ↑
  1. 1
    Your cityMayor & council
    Officials: santafenm.gov ↗
  2. 2
    New Mexico HouseSanta Fe is split between 5 districts
    Reena SzczepanskiLinda SerratoTara LujánChris ChandlerAndrea Romero
  3. 3
    New Mexico SenateState senator
    Peter WirthLinda TrujilloLiz Stefanics
  4. 4
    GovernorStatewide
    Michelle Lujan Grisham
  5. 5
    U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
    Teresa Leger Fernandez
  6. 6
    U.S. SenateBoth represent all of New Mexico
    Martin HeinrichBen Ray Luján
Find your state legislators by address ↗

Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.

Next door

How Santa Fe compares with the towns next door

Santa Fe spent $2,179 per resident in 2022. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.

La Cienega: unincorporated, no town budgetTres Arroyos: unincorporated, no town budgetTano Road: unincorporated, no town budgetSanta Fe Foothills: unincorporated, no town budgetConejo: unincorporated, no town budgetTesuque: unincorporated, no town budgetHyde Park: unincorporated, no town budgetValle Vista: unincorporated, no town budgetLa CienegaTres ArroyosTano RoadSanta Fe FoothillsConejoTesuqueHyde ParkValle VistaSanta Fe
Spends the leastSpends the mostEstimate or no figures
TownDay-to-day, per resident (2022)Tax bill
Santa Fe$2,179$2,126

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 Santa Fe’s government

The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.

The Handbook →
Official websitesantafenm.gov ↗

Questions about Santa Fe’s government

How much does Santa Fe spend per resident?

About $1,845 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 $2,179 was more than 80% of 54 New Mexico cities that don’t run their own schools.

What is the property tax rate in Santa Fe?

Homeowners report a typical bill of $2,126 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.48% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.70% across New Mexico. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see santafenm.gov.

Who runs Santa Fe’s government?

See santafenm.gov for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Santa Fe yet.

How did Santa Fe vote in 2024?

New Mexico counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Santa Fe alone. Santa Fe County, where 100% of Santa Fe lies, voted Harris 74.5%, Trump 24.8% for president; its page has every race.

How many people work for Santa Fe?

1,379 full-time and 53 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $9.0M (about $108.5M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.

Who represents Santa Fe in the state legislature?

Santa Fe is split among 5 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.

When is the next public meeting in Santa Fe?

The next posted meeting is Public Works and Utilities Committee on Monday, November 2, at 5:00 pm in City Council Chambers, City Hall, 200 Lincoln Avenue, from the city’s own agenda portal.

Ask neighbors about Santa Fe’s government

Neighbors who’ve been to the meetings can help.

Town Square →
Ask neighbors

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 →