Photo: TheWhitePelican · CC BY-SA 3.0Commerce spent less per resident in 2022 than 74% of similar cities
Commerce’s city government spent $1.3 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2022, about $505 per resident. Water and other utilities ($559,000) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Commerce is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$505 per resident in 2022: less than 74% of them
Commerce’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($505 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 181 Oklahoma cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $678, and the middle half spent $497–$902. Commerce spent less than 74% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($180,000), as the Census Bureau counts them. Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →
Oklahoma cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Commerce itself left out).
About $505 per resident a year, or $1.38 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 37%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
No trend yet
Commerce reported only 2022 to the Census Bureau, so there is no trend yet.
The typical homeowner pays $382 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.53% of the home’s value, vs 0.80% across Oklahoma.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Commerce’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. In a town this small the estimate has a wide margin.
Tax bills are one input to Commerce’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Commerce →
Who’s in charge in Commerce
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Commerce’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on commerceokla.com ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 156 residents
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2022 finance file (2,491).
By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2022
The Census reports one month’s payroll (March); yearly figures are that month × 12, an estimate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.
Commerce Public Schools
Commerce’s K–12 school district, shared with North Miami. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $11,576 per pupil, $6,768 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.
Oklahoma districts overall: 42% local, 45% state, 14% federal.
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Commerce’s votes are counted by county
Oklahoma reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Commerce alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Ottawa County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican76.0%8,490 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat22.5%2,511 votesOthers: 1.6% (177 votes).
Most votes in Ottawa County: Donald J Trump
Oklahoma: Trump 66.2%, Harris 31.9%
100% of Commerce lies in Ottawa County. Every 2024 race in Ottawa County is on the county’s page.
Ottawa 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 Commerce.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: commerceokla.com ↗
- 2Oklahoma HouseState representatives
- 3Oklahoma SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Oklahoma
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
Reach Commerce’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Commerce’s government
How much does Commerce spend per resident?
About $505 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2022, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $505 was less than 74% of 181 Oklahoma cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Commerce?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $382 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.53% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.80% across Oklahoma. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see commerceokla.com.
Who runs Commerce’s government?
See commerceokla.com for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Commerce yet.
How did Commerce vote in 2024?
Oklahoma counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Commerce alone. Ottawa County, where 100% of Commerce lies, voted Trump 76.0%, Harris 22.5% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Commerce?
16 full-time and 13 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $48,027 (about $576,324 a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Commerce in the state legislature?
State Senate District 1 (Micheal Bergstrom) and State House District 7 (Steve Bashore). The House district also covers nine other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Commerce’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 →