Photo: User:CookieMonster755 · CC BY-SA 3.0Medford spent more per resident in 2022 than 75% of similar cities
Medford’s city government spent $113.2 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, about $1,324 per resident. Water and other utilities ($14.4 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Medford is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
Who’s in charge in Medford
From public records with a current term; a name is hidden the day its term ends.
Council members and agencies: ci.medford.or.us ↗
Medford’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on ci.medford.or.us ↗.
About $1,324 per resident a year, or $3.63 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 27%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$1,151 per resident in 2022: more than 75% of them
Medford’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,151 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–$1,132. Medford spent more than 75% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($11.6 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 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Medford itself left out).
Day-to-day spending is up 18% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Medford 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: $1,151 · 2023: $1,191 · 2024: $1,324.
full-time in March 2025, up from 454 in 2022. Both are Census estimates.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $3,236 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.78% 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 Medford’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 Medford’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Medford →
One full-time city employee for every 176 residents
On the payroll in March 2025, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll (a Census estimate). Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (85,556).
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.
Medford School District 549
Medford’s K–12 school district, shared with Jacksonville. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $14,081 per pupil, $7,955 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.
Phoenix-Talent School District 4 · $18,374 per pupil
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Medford’s votes are counted by county
Oregon reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Medford alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Jackson County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican51.6%61,743 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat45.2%54,065 votesOthers: 3.1% (3,764 votes).
Most votes in Jackson County: Donald J Trump
Oregon: Harris 55.3%, Trump 41.0%
100% of Medford lies in Jackson County. Every 2024 race in Jackson County is on the county’s page.
Jackson 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 Medford.
- 1Your cityMayorMichael Zarosinskias listed by Open States, October 9, 2026
- 2Oregon HouseMedford is split between 2 districts
- 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 Medford compares with the towns next door
Medford spent $1,151 per resident in 2022; the neighbor that reported 2022 spent $816. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Central Point | $816 | $3,422 |
| Phoenix | estimate | $3,025 |
| Medford | $1,151 | $3,236 |
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 Medford’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Medford’s government
How much does Medford spend per resident?
About $1,324 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 $1,151 was more than 75% of 166 Oregon cities that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Medford?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $3,236 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.78% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.81% across Oregon. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see ci.medford.or.us.
Who is the mayor of Medford?
Michael Zarosinski, as listed by Open States (checked October 9, 2026). The council and agencies are listed on ci.medford.or.us.
How did Medford vote in 2024?
Oregon counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Medford alone. Jackson County, where 100% of Medford lies, voted Trump 51.6%, Harris 45.2% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Medford?
487 full-time and 85 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $4.2M (about $50.6M a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.
Who represents Medford in the state legislature?
Medford is split among 2 State House districts, so your address decides. The Oregon Legislature’s lookup finds yours. Its State Senate district is District 3 (Jeff Golden). Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Medford’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 →