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Old Lawton High SchoolPhoto: Crimsonedge34 · CC BY-SA 3.0
Town Hall · Lawton

How is Lawton run?

Lawton’s city government spent $93.1 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, about $1,017 per resident. These are Census Bureau estimates: Lawton didn’t report its figures, so this page shows them without comparisons.

Town website
Next public meeting

Highland Cemetery Board

2:00 pm · 2nd Floor Conference Room, Lawton City Hall

All meetings →
Day-to-day spending, 2024
$93.1M
year to June 30, 2024 · Census estimate
Per resident, 2024
$1,017
Census estimate · not compared
Long-term debt
$67.0M
end of FY2024 · Census estimate
City staff, 2025
823
full-time · 30 part-time · March payroll $4.7M
Typical tax bill
$1,329
0.94% of home value · OK 0.80%

What stands out about how Lawton is run

Read from the city’s budget, meetings and official records.

Agendas posted online6 upcoming meetings posted, with agendas.Runs its own water & sewer25% of day-to-day spending goes to water, sewer and trash (a Census estimate).A shared school districtShares Lawton Public Schools with 1 other town.Split between districts4 State House districts cover Lawton; your street decides yours.
★ What stands out · Meetings

6 upcoming meetings at town hall

From Lawton’s own agenda portal, checked daily. Agendas can change up to the meeting, so check before you go.

Recent meetings

  • Nov3
    City CouncilTuesday · 6:00 pm · 212 SW 9th Street, Lawton City Hall- Wayne Gilley AuditoriumCity Council MeetingAgenda ↗Meeting page ↗
  • Nov3
    City CouncilTuesday · 6:00 pm · 212 SW 9th Street, Lawton City Hall- Wayne Gilley AuditoriumCity Council AddendumAgenda ↗Meeting page ↗
  • Nov3
    International Festival CommitteeTuesday · 5:00 pm · McMahon Memorial Auditorium, 80Agenda ↗Meeting page ↗
  • Nov3
    FISTA Development Trust AuthorityTuesday · 3:15 pm · FISTA Innovation Park, 200 SW C AvenueAgenda ↗Meeting page ↗
  • Nov3
    Waurika Lake Master Conservancy District Board of DirectorsTuesday · 2:00 pm · Waurika Lake District Complex, 5404 East 1890 RoadAgenda ↗Meeting page ↗
Go in person

Most meetings are open to the public, and many have a public comment period at the start.

Agenda portal ↗
Your share of the 2024 budget

About $1,017 per resident a year, or $2.79 a day

Day-to-day services only (a Census Bureau estimate). The biggest line: police, at 27%.

Where the money comes from
Sales taxes 38%Fees & charges 24%Utility sales 17%Interest, fines & other 9%From the federal government 4%From the state 4%Property taxes 3%Other taxes & licenses 1%From other local governments <1%
An estimate

Lawton didn’t report all of its 2024 figures to the Census Bureau, so most of these numbers are the Bureau’s estimates.

Not in the receipt.Building projects $44.7 million; interest on debt $3.5 million. With these and the enterprises, the whole budget was $159.6 million.
Compared with similar places · Over the years

No comparison or trend for Lawton yet

Every year of Lawton’s figures is a Census Bureau estimate: the city reported none of its dollars for 2022–2024. Estimates are shown above, labeled, but never ranked against places that reported or drawn as a trend.

How Town Hall compares budgets →
City staff
823

full-time in March 2025, up from 786 in 2022.

Property tax

The typical homeowner pays $1,329 a year

Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.94% of the home’s value, vs 0.80% across Oklahoma.

What homes cost →

Typical yearly bill next door and statewide

Oklahoma$1,599
Lawton$1,329
$1,329
typical bill a year
0.94%
effective rate
$142,100
typical home value (Census)
Your own bill

The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Lawton’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 Lawton’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Lawton →

Who runs it

Who’s in charge in Lawton

Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.

See lawtonok.gov for Lawton’s current officialsWe name an official only when a public source lists a current term. None does for Lawton yet.lawtonok.gov ↗
Who works for Lawton

One full-time city employee for every 111 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 (91,542).

By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2025

Police175 + 2 pt
Fire135
Sewer & trash101 + 1 pt
Administration & buildings82 + 10 pt
Parks & libraries61 + 14 pt
Courts, inspections & corrections58 + 1 pt
Roads & transportation57
Water & other utilities55
Health & welfare17 + 2 pt
Housing & development4
Other78
823
full-time
30
part-time
$4.7M
payroll for March 2025
$56.4M
a year, estimated (March × 12)
$67,900
average full-time pay, before benefits (March × 12)
172
sworn police officers
133
full-time firefighters
Not compared.Staff are compared with the same group as the budget, and Lawton’s 2022 budget was a Census estimate, so there is no group to compare with.

The Census reports one month’s payroll (March); yearly figures are that month × 12, an estimate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.

The school district

Lawton Public Schools

Lawton’s K–12 school district, shared with Medicine Park. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.

Schools in Lawton →
$11,712
per pupil · OK $12,210
13,912
students
$46.5 million
long-term debt

Of the $11,712 per pupil, $6,134 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.

The district: schools, scores and graduation →

Where the district’s money comes from
Local 25%State 55%Federal 20%

Oklahoma districts overall: 42% local, 45% state, 14% federal.

Also serving Lawton

Cache Public Schools · $12,888 per pupil

Bishop Public School · $11,436 per pupil

Flower Mound Public School · $9,431 per pupil

School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.

Elections · 2024 general election

Lawton’s votes are counted by county

Oklahoma reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Lawton alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Comanche County’s results.

President · Comanche County’s results34,284 votes · results as certified
Donald J TrumpDonald J TrumpRepublican60.7%20,823 votes
Kamala D HarrisKamala D HarrisDemocrat37.4%12,823 votes

Others: 1.9% (638 votes).

Most votes in Comanche County: Donald J Trump

Oklahoma: Trump 66.2%, Harris 31.9%

The county’s page

100% of Lawton lies in Comanche County. Every 2024 race in Comanche County is on the county’s page.

Comanche County’s 2024 results →
DemocratRepublicanLibertarianIndependent / other

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.

Who represents Lawton

From town hall to Washington

Lawton sends 4 representatives to the Oklahoma House alone.

2024 results ↑
  1. 1
    Your cityMayor & council
    Officials: lawtonok.gov ↗
  2. 2
    Oklahoma HouseLawton is split between 4 districts
    Trey CaldwellRande WorthenDaniel PaeToni Hasenbeck
  3. 3
    Oklahoma SenateState senator
    Spencer KernDusty Deevers
  4. 4
    GovernorStatewide
    Kevin Stitt
  5. 5
    U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
    Tom Cole
  6. 6
    U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Oklahoma
    James LankfordAlan Armstrong
Find your state legislators by address ↗

Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.

Reach Lawton’s government

The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.

The Handbook →
Official websitelawtonok.gov ↗

Questions about Lawton’s government

How much does Lawton spend per resident?

About $1,017 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, a Census Bureau estimate (Lawton didn’t report its figures). With building projects and interest, the whole budget was about $159.6 million.

What is the property tax rate in Lawton?

Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,329 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.94% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.80% across Oklahoma. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see lawtonok.gov.

Who runs Lawton’s government?

See lawtonok.gov for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Lawton yet.

How did Lawton vote in 2024?

Oklahoma counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Lawton alone. Comanche County, where 100% of Lawton lies, voted Trump 60.7%, Harris 37.4% for president; its page has every race.

How many people work for Lawton?

823 full-time and 30 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $4.7M (about $56.4M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.

Who represents Lawton in the state legislature?

Lawton is split among 4 State House districts and 2 State Senate districts, so your address decides. The Oklahoma Legislature’s lookup finds yours. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.

When is the next public meeting in Lawton?

The next posted meeting is Highland Cemetery Board on Wednesday, November 4, at 2:00 pm in 2nd Floor Conference Room, Lawton City Hall, from the city’s own agenda portal.

Ask neighbors about Lawton’s government

Neighbors who’ve been to the meetings can help.

Town Square →
Ask neighbors

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 (for Lawton, the Bureau’s estimates); 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 →