Hedlund Motor Company Building · Photo: Crimsonedge34 · CC BY-SA 3.0Elk City spent more per resident in 2022 than 89% of similar cities
Elk City’s city government spent $20.7 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, about $1,831 per resident. Water and other utilities ($2.3 million) and the airport ($363,000) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Elk City is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$1,460 per resident in 2022: more than 89% of them
Elk City’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,460 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 27 Oklahoma cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,025, and the middle half spent $820–$1,268. Elk City spent more than 89% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($1.3 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 →
Oklahoma cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Elk City itself left out).
About $1,831 per resident a year, or $5.02 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 17%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is up 25% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Elk City 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: $1,460 · 2023: $1,607 · 2024: $1,831.
full-time in March 2025, up from 149 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 $1,357 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.90% 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 Elk City’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 Elk City’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Elk City →
Who’s in charge in Elk City
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Elk City’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on elkcity.com/home.aspx ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 68 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 (11,290).
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.
Elk City Public Schools
Elk City’s K–12 school district. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $10,775 per pupil, $5,994 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.
Merritt Public Schools · $10,345 per pupil
Sayre Public Schools · $12,440 per pupil
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Elk City’s votes are counted by county
Oklahoma reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Elk City alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Beckham County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican84.3%6,474 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat14.2%1,093 votesOthers: 1.4% (111 votes).
Most votes in Beckham County: Donald J Trump
Oklahoma: Trump 66.2%, Harris 31.9%
100% of Elk City lies in Beckham County. Every 2024 race in Beckham County is on the county’s page.
Beckham 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 Elk City.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: elkcity.com/home.aspx ↗
- 2Oklahoma HouseElk City is split between 2 districts
- 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 Elk City’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Elk City’s government
How much does Elk City spend per resident?
About $1,831 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $1,460 was more than 89% of 27 Oklahoma cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Elk City?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,357 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.90% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.80% across Oklahoma. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see elkcity.com/home.aspx.
Who runs Elk City’s government?
See elkcity.com/home.aspx for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Elk City yet.
How did Elk City vote in 2024?
Oklahoma counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Elk City alone. Beckham County, where 100% of Elk City lies, voted Trump 84.3%, Harris 14.2% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Elk City?
165 full-time and 42 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $837,047 (about $10.0M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Elk City in the state legislature?
Elk City is split among 2 State House districts, so your address decides. The Oklahoma Legislature’s lookup finds yours. Its State Senate district is District 38 (Brent Howard). Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Elk City’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 →