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Downtown Gresham, OregonPhoto: SkatePark in Main City Park, Gresham, Oregon.jpg · CC BY 4.0
Town Hall · Gresham

Gresham spent more per resident in 2022 than 70% of similar cities

Gresham’s city government spent $141.5 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, about $1,268 per resident. Water and other utilities ($11.6 million) are counted separately.

Town website
Election Day

Tomorrow

General election in Oregon.

Register or check: vote.gov ↗
Day-to-day spending, 2024
$141.5M
year to June 30, 2024
Per resident, 2024
$1,268
In 2022: $1,065, more than 70% of 166 similar cities
Long-term debt
$53.6M
end of FY2024, reported
City staff, 2025
618
full-time · 12 part-time · March payroll $5.7M
Typical tax bill
$4,174
0.91% of home value · OR 0.81%

What stands out about how Gresham is run

Read from the city’s budget and official records.

Compared with similar places

$1,065 per resident in 2022: more than 70% of them

Gresham’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,065 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 166 Oregon cities that don’t run their own schools: the median was $879, and the middle half spent $544–$1,147. Gresham spent more than 70% of them.

Middle half of the group, $544–$1,147Median $879Gresham

Includes sewer and trash ($14.1 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 →

The group
166

Oregon cities that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Gresham itself left out).

Your share of the 2024 budget

About $1,268 per resident a year, or $3.47 a day

Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 23%.

Where the money comes from
Fees & charges 21%Property taxes 19%From other local governments 12%Interest, fines & other 10%Sales taxes 10%Utility sales 9%Other taxes & licenses 7%From the state 7%From the federal government 5%
Not in the receipt.Building projects $58.5 million; interest on debt $2.4 million; payments to other governments $6.6 million. With these and the enterprises, the whole budget was $220.7 million.
Over the years

Day-to-day spending is up 21% since 2022

Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Gresham reported to the Census Bureau. Prices rose too: about 4% a year in 2022–2024.

Day-to-day spending by fiscal year

2022$117.2 million
2023$126.5 million
2024$141.5 million

Per resident: 2022: $1,065 · 2023: $1,118 · 2024: $1,268.

City staff
618

full-time in March 2025, up from 588 in 2022.

Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.

Property tax

The typical homeowner pays $4,174 a year

Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.91% of the home’s value, vs 0.81% across Oregon.

What homes cost →

Typical yearly bill next door and statewide

Orient$10,000+
Portland$5,743
Troutdale$4,316
Gresham$4,174
Oregon$3,876
Fairview$3,492
$4,174
typical bill a year
0.91%
effective rate
$458,700
typical home value (Census)
Your own bill

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

Who runs it

Who’s in charge in Gresham

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

See greshamoregon.gov for Gresham’s current officialsWe name an official only when a public source lists a current term. None does for Gresham yet.greshamoregon.gov ↗
Agendas

Gresham’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on greshamoregon.gov ↗.

Who works for Gresham

One full-time city employee for every 181 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 (111,621).

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

Police155
Fire122
Housing & development88 + 1 pt
Administration & buildings82 + 9 pt
Roads & transportation43
Sewer & trash26 + 2 pt
Water & other utilities24
Parks & libraries11
Courts, inspections & corrections7
Other60
618
full-time
12
part-time
$5.7M
payroll for March 2025
$68.6M
a year, estimated (March × 12)
$110,200
average full-time pay, before benefits (March × 12)
123
sworn police officers
117
full-time firefighters
Compared, 2022.Gresham had 5.3 full-time staff per 1,000 residents in March 2022. The median for the 144 of the 166 Oregon cities that don’t run their own schools that reported 2022 staff was 5.5: Gresham had fewer than 53% of them. Same group and year as the budget comparison.

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

Gresham-Barlow School District 1J

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

Schools in Gresham →
$15,648
per pupil · OR $17,749
11,359
students
$269.9 million
long-term debt

Of the $15,648 per pupil, $8,629 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 31%State 59%Federal 10%

Oregon districts overall: 38% local, 52% state, 10% federal.

Also serving Gresham

Reynolds School District 7 · $18,483 per pupil

Centennial School District 28J · $16,282 per pupil

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

Elections · 2024 general election

Gresham’s votes are counted by county

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

President · Multnomah County’s results414,250 votes · results as certified
Kamala D HarrisKamala D HarrisDemocrat78.7%325,927 votes
Donald J TrumpDonald J TrumpRepublican17.1%70,759 votes

Others: 4.2% (17,564 votes).

Most votes in Multnomah County: Kamala D Harris

Oregon: Harris 55.3%, Trump 41.0%

The county’s page

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

Multnomah 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 Gresham

From town hall to Washington

Gresham sends 4 representatives to the Oregon House alone.

2024 results ↑
  1. 1
    Your cityMayor & council
  2. 2
    Oregon HouseGresham is split between 4 districts
  3. 3
    Oregon SenateState senator
  4. 4
    GovernorStatewide
  5. 5
    U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
  6. 6
    U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Oregon

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

Next door

How Gresham compares with the towns next door

Gresham spent $1,065 per resident in 2022; the neighbor that reported 2022 spent $2,248. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.

Spends the leastSpends the mostEstimate or no figures
TownDay-to-day, per resident (2022)Tax bill
Portland$2,248$5,743
Fairviewestimate$3,492
Troutdaleestimate$4,316
Gresham$1,065$4,174

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 Gresham’s government

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

The Handbook →

Questions about Gresham’s government

How much does Gresham spend per resident?

About $1,268 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 $1,065 was more than 70% of 166 Oregon cities that don’t run their own schools.

What is the property tax rate in Gresham?

Homeowners report a typical bill of $4,174 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.91% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.81% across Oregon. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see greshamoregon.gov.

Who runs Gresham’s government?

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

How did Gresham vote in 2024?

Oregon counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Gresham alone. Multnomah County, where 100% of Gresham lies, voted Harris 78.7%, Trump 17.1% for president; its page has every race.

How many people work for Gresham?

618 full-time and 12 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $5.7M (about $68.6M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.

Who represents Gresham in the state legislature?

Gresham is split among 4 State House districts and 3 State Senate districts, so your address decides. The Oregon Legislature’s lookup finds yours. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.

Ask neighbors about Gresham’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; 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 →