Photo: Catsmeowmeow · CC BY-SA 4.0In Lakewood, 66% of adult citizens voted for president in 2024, more than across Ohio
Lakewood’s city government spent $92 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, about $1,853 per resident. Water and other utilities ($8.5 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Lakewood is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
About $1,853 per resident a year, or $5.08 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 15%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$1,183 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Lakewood’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,183 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–$1,394. Lakewood spent more than 52% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($9.9 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; Lakewood itself left out).
Day-to-day spending is up 58% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Lakewood 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: $1,183 · 2023: $1,229 · 2024: $1,853.
full-time in March 2025, up from 413 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 $5,266 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 2.01% 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 Lakewood’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 Lakewood’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Lakewood →
Who’s in charge in Lakewood
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Lakewood’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on lakewoodoh.gov ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 116 residents
On the payroll in March 2025, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll (a Census estimate). Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (49,658).
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.
Lakewood City School District
Lakewood’s K–12 school district. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $20,147 per pupil, $13,318 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.
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
How Lakewood voted in 2024
Official results for Lakewood’s own voters, as certified after the November 5, 2024 general election, with the county and the state beside them.
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat74.7%20,349 votes
Donald J TrumpRepublican24.4%6,639 votesOthers: 0.9% (248 votes).
Most votes in Lakewood: Kamala D Harris
Cuyahoga County: Harris 65.4%, Trump 33.9% · Ohio: Trump 55.1%, Harris 43.9%
of Lakewood’s 41,267 adult citizens voted for president in 2024. Across Ohio: 64%.
Votes ÷ citizens of voting age (Census CVAP, 2020–24 ACS).
Most votes in Lakewood: Sherrod Brown
Cuyahoga County: Brown 67.5%, Moreno 30.0% · Ohio: Moreno 50.1%, Brown 46.5%
Most votes in the district: Shontel Brown
Whole-district result
President, 2024: Lakewood, its county and the state
| Harris | Trump | Others | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lakewood | 74.7% | 24.4% | 0.9% | 27,236 |
| Cuyahoga County | 65.4% | 33.9% | 0.8% | 575,890 |
| 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
Every level of government that speaks for Lakewood.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: lakewoodoh.gov ↗
- 2Ohio HouseState representatives
- 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 Lakewood compares with the towns next door
Lakewood spent $1,183 per resident in 2022; the 2 neighbors that reported 2022 spent $1,063 to $1,763. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Fairview Park | $1,063 | $5,123 |
| Cleveland | $1,763 | $1,759 |
| Rocky River | estimate | $6,421 |
| Lakewood | $1,183 | $5,266 |
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 Lakewood’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Lakewood’s government
How much does Lakewood spend per resident?
About $1,853 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 $1,183 was more than 52% of 21 Ohio cities of 25,000–49,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Lakewood?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $5,266 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 2.01% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.31% across Ohio. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see lakewoodoh.gov.
Who runs Lakewood’s government?
See lakewoodoh.gov for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Lakewood yet.
How did Lakewood vote in 2024?
For president, Kamala D Harris 74.7%, Donald J Trump 24.4% (27,236 votes, official results). Cuyahoga County: Harris 65.4%, Trump 33.9%. Ohio: Trump 55.1%, Harris 43.9%.
How many people work for Lakewood?
428 full-time and 81 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $3.3M (about $40.0M a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.
Who represents Lakewood in the state legislature?
State Senate District 23 (Nickie Antonio) and State House District 13 (Tristan Rader). The House district also covers parts of 1 neighboring town. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Lakewood’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 →