Photo: Finetooth · CC BY-SA 3.0How is Baker City run?
Baker City’s city government spent $9.8 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2022, about $991 per resident. Water and other utilities ($1.5 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Baker City is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
About $991 per resident a year, or $2.72 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 27%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$991 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Baker City’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($991 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 35 Oregon cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $995, and the middle half spent $701–$1,314. Baker City spent less than 51% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($1.4 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 →
Oregon cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Baker City itself left out).
No trend yet
Baker City reported only 2022 to the Census Bureau, so there is no trend yet.
The typical homeowner pays $2,493 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.92% of the home’s value, vs 0.81% across Oregon.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Baker 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 Baker City’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Baker City →
Who’s in charge in Baker City
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Baker City’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on bakercity.com ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 202 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 (9,876).
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.
Baker School District 5J
Baker City’s K–12 school district, shared with Haines, Sumpter. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $7,753 per pupil, $3,821 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.
Oregon districts overall: 38% local, 52% state, 10% federal.
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Baker City’s votes are counted by county
Oregon reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Baker City alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Baker County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican72.8%7,060 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat24.2%2,343 votesOthers: 3.0% (291 votes).
Most votes in Baker County: Donald J Trump
Oregon: Harris 55.3%, Trump 41.0%
100% of Baker City lies in Baker County. Every 2024 race in Baker County is on the county’s page.
Baker 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 Baker City.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: bakercity.com ↗
- 2Oregon HouseState representatives
- 3Oregon SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Oregon
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
Reach Baker City’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Baker City’s government
How much does Baker City spend per resident?
About $991 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 $991 was less than 51% of 35 Oregon cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Baker City?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $2,493 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.92% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.81% across Oregon. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see bakercity.com.
Who runs Baker City’s government?
See bakercity.com for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Baker City yet.
How did Baker City vote in 2024?
Oregon counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Baker City alone. Baker County, where 100% of Baker City lies, voted Trump 72.8%, Harris 24.2% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Baker City?
49 full-time and 33 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $336,584 (about $4.0M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Baker City in the state legislature?
State Senate District 30 (Mike McLane) and State House District 60 (Mark Owens). The House district also covers 24 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Baker 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 →