Photo: Blervis · CC BY 4.0How is Dayton run?
Dayton’s city government spent $221.8 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2023, about $1,612 per resident. That is its newest year reported to the Census Bureau. Water and other utilities ($39.5 million) and the airport ($17.4 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Dayton is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
About $1,612 per resident a year, or $4.42 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 26%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
No comparison or trend for Dayton yet
The fair comparison uses 2022, the last year the Census Bureau counted every government (later years are a sample), and Dayton’s 2022 figures are a Census estimate (it reported none of its 2022 dollars). It reported 2023 only (2022 and 2024 are estimates), so there is no trend yet either. The next full count is 2027.
How Town Hall compares budgets →full-time in March 2025, up from 1,781 in 2022.
The typical homeowner pays $1,673 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.66% of the home’s value, vs 1.31% across Ohio.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Dayton’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 Dayton’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Dayton →
Who’s in charge in Dayton
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Dayton’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on daytonohio.gov ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 74 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 (137,571).
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.
Dayton City School District
Dayton’s K–12 school district, shared with Harrison Township. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $20,963 per pupil, $10,730 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.
Ohio districts overall: 53% local, 35% state, 12% federal.
Vandalia-Butler City School District · $14,360 per pupil
Trotwood-Madison City School District · $20,178 per pupil
Huber Heights City School District · $13,943 per pupil
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
How Dayton voted in 2024
Official results for Dayton’s own voters, as certified after the November 5, 2024 general election, with the county and the state beside them.
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat68.0%31,597 votes
Donald J TrumpRepublican31.0%14,409 votesOthers: 1.0% (464 votes).
Most votes in Dayton: Kamala D Harris
Montgomery County: Harris 49.8%, Trump 49.3% · Ohio: Trump 55.1%, Harris 43.9%
of Dayton’s 103,463 adult citizens voted for president in 2024. Across Ohio: 64%.
Votes ÷ citizens of voting age (Census CVAP, 2020–24 ACS).
Most votes in Dayton: Sherrod Brown
Montgomery County: Brown 51.8%, Moreno 44.6% · Ohio: Moreno 50.1%, Brown 46.5%
Most votes in the district: Mike Turner
Whole-district result
President, 2024: Dayton, its county and the state
| Harris | Trump | Others | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dayton | 68.0% | 31.0% | 1.0% | 46,470 |
| Montgomery County | 49.8% | 49.3% | 0.9% | 254,715 |
| Ohio | 43.9% | 55.1% | 0.9% | 5,767,788 |
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
Dayton sends 4 representatives to the Ohio House alone.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: daytonohio.gov ↗
- 2Ohio HouseDayton is split between 4 districts
- 3Ohio SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Ohio
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
How Dayton compares with the towns next door
Dayton’s 2022 figures are a Census estimate, so it isn’t placed among them. Neighbors that reported 2022 spent $216 to $1,147 per resident. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Trotwood | $216 | $1,891 |
| Riverside | $450 | $2,310 |
| Butler Township | $1,147 | $4,974 |
| Harrison Township | estimate | $1,930 |
| Jefferson Township | estimate | $2,484 |
| Huber Heights | estimate | $2,817 |
| Moraine | estimate | $2,380 |
| Kettering | estimate | $3,809 |
| Dayton | estimate | $1,673 |
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 Dayton’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Dayton’s government
How much does Dayton spend per resident?
About $1,612 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2023, as reported to the Census Bureau.
What is the property tax rate in Dayton?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,673 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.66% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.31% across Ohio. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see daytonohio.gov.
Who runs Dayton’s government?
See daytonohio.gov for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Dayton yet.
How did Dayton vote in 2024?
For president, Kamala D Harris 68.0%, Donald J Trump 31.0% (46,470 votes, official results). Montgomery County: Harris 49.8%, Trump 49.3%. Ohio: Trump 55.1%, Harris 43.9%.
How many people work for Dayton?
1,856 full-time and 18 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $13.3M (about $159.6M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Dayton in the state legislature?
Dayton is split among 4 State House districts and 2 State Senate districts, so your address decides. The Ohio Legislature’s lookup finds yours. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Dayton’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 →