Photo: Nicolas from Paris, France · CC BY-SA 2.0How is Grants Pass run?
Grants Pass’ city government spent $48.3 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, about $1,237 per resident. Water and other utilities ($4.2 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Grants Pass is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
About $1,237 per resident a year, or $3.39 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 35%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$1,105 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Grants Pass’ day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,105 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 31 Oregon cities of 25,000–49,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,003, and the middle half spent $920–$1,210. Grants Pass spent more than 58% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($5.4 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 25,000–49,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Grants Pass itself left out).
Day-to-day spending is up 14% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Grants Pass 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: $1,105 · 2023: $1,262 · 2024: $1,237.
full-time in March 2025, up from 220 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 $2,626 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.69% 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 Grants Pass’ 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 Grants Pass’ Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Grants Pass →
Who’s in charge in Grants Pass
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Grants Pass’ meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on grantspassoregon.gov ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 173 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 (39,079).
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.
Grants Pass School District 7
Grants Pass’ K–12 school district. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $16,671 per pupil, $10,135 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.
Three Rivers School District · $16,657 per pupil
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Grants Pass’ votes are counted by county
Oregon reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Grants Pass alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Josephine County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican62.7%31,129 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat34.1%16,928 votesOthers: 3.2% (1,571 votes).
Most votes in Josephine County: Donald J Trump
Oregon: Harris 55.3%, Trump 41.0%
100% of Grants Pass lies in Josephine County. Every 2024 race in Josephine County is on the county’s page.
Josephine 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 Grants Pass.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: grantspassoregon.gov ↗
- 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.
How Grants Pass compares with the towns next door
Grants Pass spent $1,105 per resident in 2022. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Grants Pass | $1,105 | $2,626 |
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 Grants Pass’ government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Grants Pass’ government
How much does Grants Pass spend per resident?
About $1,237 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 $1,105 was more than 58% of 31 Oregon cities of 25,000–49,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Grants Pass?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $2,626 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.69% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.81% across Oregon. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see grantspassoregon.gov.
Who runs Grants Pass’ government?
See grantspassoregon.gov for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Grants Pass yet.
How did Grants Pass vote in 2024?
Oregon counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Grants Pass alone. Josephine County, where 100% of Grants Pass lies, voted Trump 62.7%, Harris 34.1% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Grants Pass?
226 full-time and 12 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $1.6M (about $19.2M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Grants Pass in the state legislature?
State Senate District 2 (Noah Robinson) and State House District 3 (Dwayne Yunker). The House district also covers 1 neighboring town. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Grants Pass’ 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 →