Photo: The original uploader was Festiva76 at English Wikipedia. · Public domainHow is Aiken run?
Aiken’s city government spent $64.2 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, about $1,977 per resident. These are Census Bureau estimates: Aiken didn’t report its figures, so this page shows them without comparisons.
What stands out about how Aiken is run
Read from the city’s budget, meetings and official records.
Who’s in charge in Aiken
From public records with a current term; a name is hidden the day its term ends.
Council members and agencies: cityofaikensc.gov ↗
About $1,977 per resident a year, or $5.42 a day
Day-to-day services only (a Census Bureau estimate). The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 28%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Aiken didn’t report all of its 2024 figures to the Census Bureau, so most of these numbers are the Bureau’s estimates.
No comparison or trend for Aiken yet
Every year of Aiken’s figures is a Census Bureau estimate: the city reported none of its dollars for 2022–2024. Estimates are shown above, labeled, but never ranked against places that reported or drawn as a trend.
How Town Hall compares budgets →full-time in March 2025, up from 366 in 2022.
The typical homeowner pays $1,273 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.44% of the home’s value, vs 0.48% across South Carolina.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Aiken’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 Aiken’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Aiken →
Recent meetings
From Aiken’s own agenda portal, checked daily. Agendas can change up to the meeting, so check before you go.
No upcoming meetings are posted yet.
Recent meetings
- Sep18City CouncilFriday · 6:00 pmTESTMeeting page ↗
Most meetings are open to the public, and many have a public comment period at the start.
Agenda portal ↗One full-time city employee for every 82 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 (32,463).
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.
Aiken County School District
Aiken’s K–12 school district, shared with Burnettown, Jackson, Monetta, New Ellenton, Perry and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $13,241 per pupil, $7,749 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.
South Carolina districts overall: 45% local, 43% state, 13% federal.
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Aiken’s votes are counted by county
South Carolina reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Aiken alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Aiken County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican62.3%53,592 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat36.4%31,298 votesOthers: 1.4% (1,201 votes).
Most votes in Aiken County: Donald J Trump
South Carolina: Trump 58.2%, Harris 40.4%
100% of Aiken lies in Aiken County. Every 2024 race in Aiken County is on the county’s page.
Aiken 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 Aiken.
- 1Your cityMayorTeddy Milneras listed by Open States, October 9, 2026
- 2South Carolina HouseAiken is split between 2 districts
- 3South Carolina SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of South Carolina
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
Reach Aiken’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Aiken’s government
How much does Aiken spend per resident?
About $1,977 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, a Census Bureau estimate (Aiken didn’t report its figures). With building projects and interest, the whole budget was about $77.1 million.
What is the property tax rate in Aiken?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,273 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.44% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.48% across South Carolina. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see cityofaikensc.gov.
Who is the mayor of Aiken?
Teddy Milner, as listed by Open States (checked October 9, 2026). The council and agencies are listed on cityofaikensc.gov.
How did Aiken vote in 2024?
South Carolina counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Aiken alone. Aiken County, where 100% of Aiken lies, voted Trump 62.3%, Harris 36.4% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Aiken?
395 full-time and 80 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $2.0M (about $24.5M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Aiken in the state legislature?
Aiken is split among 2 State House districts, so your address decides. The South Carolina Legislature’s lookup finds yours. Its State Senate district is District 24 (Tom Young). Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Aiken’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 (for Aiken, the Bureau’s estimates); 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 →