Photo: Tim Kiser (w:User:Malepheasant) · CC BY-SA 2.5Lancaster spent more per resident in 2022 than 95% of similar cities
Lancaster’s city government spent $51.1 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2023, about $1,254 per resident. That is its newest year reported to the Census Bureau. Water and other utilities ($28.7 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Lancaster is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$1,621 per resident in 2022: more than 95% of them
Lancaster’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,621 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. Lancaster spent more than 95% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($27.6 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; Lancaster itself left out).
About $1,254 per resident a year, or $3.44 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 23%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is down 23% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Lancaster 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: $1,621 · 2023: $1,254.
full-time in March 2025, up from 428 in 2022.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $1,879 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.97% 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 Lancaster’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 Lancaster’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Lancaster →
Who’s in charge in Lancaster
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Lancaster’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on ci.lancaster.oh.us ↗.
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 (40,763).
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.
Lancaster City School District
Lancaster’s K–12 school district, shared with Hocking Township, Pleasant Township. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $15,066 per pupil, $8,891 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.
Amanda-Clearcreek Local School District · $15,220 per pupil
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
How Lancaster voted in 2024
Official results for Lancaster’s own voters, as certified after the November 5, 2024 general election, with the county and the state beside them.
Donald J TrumpRepublican63.7%11,593 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat35.4%6,437 votesOthers: 0.9% (159 votes).
Most votes in Lancaster: Donald J Trump
Fairfield County: Trump 61.6%, Harris 37.5% · Ohio: Trump 55.1%, Harris 43.9%
of Lancaster’s 31,493 adult citizens voted for president in 2024. Across Ohio: 64%.
Votes ÷ citizens of voting age (Census CVAP, 2020–24 ACS).
Most votes in Lancaster: Bernie Moreno
Fairfield County: Moreno 56.5%, Brown 40.2% · Ohio: Moreno 50.1%, Brown 46.5%
Most votes in the district: Troy Balderson
Whole-district result
President, 2024: Lancaster, its county and the state
| Trump | Harris | Others | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lancaster | 63.7% | 35.4% | 0.9% | 18,189 |
| Fairfield County | 61.6% | 37.5% | 0.9% | 84,431 |
| Ohio | 55.1% | 43.9% | 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 Lancaster.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: ci.lancaster.oh.us ↗
- 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 Lancaster compares with the towns next door
Lancaster spent $1,621 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Hocking Township | $279 | $3,055 |
| Greenfield Township | $323 | $3,106 |
| Pleasant Township | $326 | $3,046 |
| Berne Township | estimate | $2,339 |
| Lancaster | $1,621 | $1,879 |
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 Lancaster’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Lancaster’s government
How much does Lancaster spend per resident?
About $1,254 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2023, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $1,621 was more than 95% of 21 Ohio cities of 25,000–49,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Lancaster?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,879 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.97% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.31% across Ohio. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see ci.lancaster.oh.us.
Who runs Lancaster’s government?
See ci.lancaster.oh.us for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Lancaster yet.
How did Lancaster vote in 2024?
For president, Donald J Trump 63.7%, Kamala D Harris 35.4% (18,189 votes, official results). Fairfield County: Trump 61.6%, Harris 37.5%. Ohio: Trump 55.1%, Harris 43.9%.
How many people work for Lancaster?
488 full-time and 52 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $3.3M (about $39.5M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Lancaster in the state legislature?
State Senate District 20 (Tim Schaffer) and State House District 73 (Jeff LaRe). The House district also covers 14 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Lancaster’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 →