Photo: Nils Huenerfuerst · CC BY-SA 4.0Tulsa spent more per resident in 2022 than 92% of similar cities
Tulsa’s city government spent $711.5 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, about $1,728 per resident. Water and other utilities ($105.4 million) and the airport ($28.6 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Tulsa is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$1,433 per resident in 2022: more than 92% of them
Tulsa’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,433 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 291 Oklahoma cities that don’t run their own schools: the median was $808, and the middle half spent $584–$1,070. Tulsa spent more than 92% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($110.1 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 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Tulsa itself left out).
About $1,728 per resident a year, or $4.73 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 21%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is up 23% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Tulsa 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: $1,433 · 2023: $1,576 · 2024: $1,728.
full-time in March 2025, up from 3,847 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 $2,005 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.98% 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 Tulsa’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 Tulsa’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Tulsa →
Who’s in charge in Tulsa
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time city employee for every 98 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 (411,867).
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.
Tulsa Public Schools
Tulsa’s K–12 school district. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $12,703 per pupil, $6,059 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.
Jenks Public Schools · $11,122 per pupil
Union Public Schools · $12,174 per pupil
Broken Arrow Public Schools · $10,360 per pupil
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Tulsa’s votes are counted by county
Oklahoma reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Tulsa alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Tulsa County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican56.5%145,241 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat41.3%106,105 votesOthers: 2.2% (5,593 votes).
Most votes in Tulsa County: Donald J Trump
Oklahoma: Trump 66.2%, Harris 31.9%
99% of Tulsa lies in Tulsa County; the rest in Osage County, Rogers County, Wagoner County. Every 2024 race in Tulsa County is on the county’s page.
Tulsa 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
Tulsa sends 13 representatives to the Oklahoma House alone.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilLocal officials aren’t on record yet.
- 2Oklahoma HouseTulsa is split between 14 districts
- 3Oklahoma SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseSplit between districts
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Oklahoma
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
How Tulsa compares with the towns next door
Tulsa spent $1,433 per resident in 2022; the 7 neighbors that reported 2022 spent $568 to $1,688. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Sperry | $568 | $739 |
| Bixby | $667 | $3,616 |
| Jenks | $787 | $3,316 |
| Broken Arrow | $922 | $2,492 |
| Sand Springs | $1,013 | $1,895 |
| Sapulpa | $1,169 | $1,469 |
| Catoosa | $1,688 | $1,251 |
| Fair Oaks | estimate | $1,227 |
| Tulsa | $1,433 | $2,005 |
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 Tulsa’s government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about Tulsa’s government
How much does Tulsa spend per resident?
About $1,728 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 $1,433 was more than 92% of 291 Oklahoma cities that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Tulsa?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $2,005 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.98% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.80% across Oklahoma. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see the city’s assessor.
Who runs Tulsa’s government?
We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Tulsa yet.
How did Tulsa vote in 2024?
Oklahoma counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Tulsa alone. Tulsa County, where 99% of Tulsa lies, voted Trump 56.5%, Harris 41.3% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Tulsa?
4,213 full-time and 48 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $29.0M (about $348.5M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Tulsa in the state legislature?
Tulsa is split among 14 State House districts and 7 State Senate districts, so your address decides. The Oklahoma Legislature’s lookup finds yours. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Tulsa’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 →