Delaware County Courthouse · Photo: Christopher L. Riley · CC BY-SA 4.0Delaware spent more per resident in 2022 than 76% of similar cities
Delaware’s city government spent $60 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, about $1,367 per resident. Water and other utilities ($5.6 million) and the airport ($1.4 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Delaware is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$1,394 per resident in 2022: more than 76% of them
Delaware’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,394 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 21 Ohio cities of 25,000–49,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,168, and the middle half spent $1,011–$1,364. Delaware spent more than 76% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($7.9 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 →
Ohio cities of 25,000–49,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Delaware itself left out).
About $1,367 per resident a year, or $3.75 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: fire, at 22%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is up 1% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Delaware 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: $1,394 · 2023: $1,332 · 2024: $1,367.
full-time in March 2025, up from 337 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 $4,326 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.36% 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 Delaware’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 Delaware’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Delaware →
Who’s in charge in Delaware
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Delaware’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on delawareohio.net ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 129 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 (43,895).
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.
Delaware City School District
Delaware’s K–12 school district, shared with Delaware Township, Troy Township. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $14,070 per pupil, $9,047 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.
Olentangy Local School District · $15,172 per pupil
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Delaware’s votes are counted by county
Ohio reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Delaware alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Delaware County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican52.8%70,448 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat46.2%61,657 votesOthers: 0.9% (1,252 votes).
Most votes in Delaware County: Donald J Trump
Ohio: Trump 55.1%, Harris 43.9%
100% of Delaware lies in Delaware County. Every 2024 race in Delaware County is on the county’s page.
Delaware 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 Delaware.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: delawareohio.net ↗
- 2Ohio HouseDelaware is split between 2 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 Delaware compares with the towns next door
Delaware spent $1,394 per resident in 2022. Most of its neighbors are townships, a different kind of government, so the like-for-like comparison is with similar cities, above. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Troy Township | $195 | $3,574 |
| Concord Township | $390 | $7,635 |
| Brown Township | $397 | $3,116 |
| Berlin Township | $2,736 | $9,370 |
| Delaware Township | estimate | $5,192 |
| Liberty Township | estimate | $10,000+ |
| Scioto Township | estimate | $3,850 |
| Delaware | $1,394 | $4,326 |
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 Delaware’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Delaware’s government
How much does Delaware spend per resident?
About $1,367 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $1,394 was more than 76% of 21 Ohio cities of 25,000–49,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Delaware?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $4,326 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.36% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.31% across Ohio. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see delawareohio.net.
Who runs Delaware’s government?
See delawareohio.net for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Delaware yet.
How did Delaware vote in 2024?
Ohio counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Delaware alone. Delaware County, where 100% of Delaware lies, voted Trump 52.8%, Harris 46.2% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Delaware?
341 full-time and 24 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $2.5M (about $30.4M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Delaware in the state legislature?
Delaware is split among 2 State House districts, so your address decides. The Ohio Legislature’s lookup finds yours. Its State Senate district is District 19 (Andrew Brenner). Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Delaware’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 →