Photo: Bill Fitzpatrick · CC BY-SA 3.0How is Gaffney run?
Gaffney’s city government spent $16.1 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2023, about $1,298 per resident. These are Census Bureau estimates: Gaffney didn’t report its figures, so this page shows them without comparisons.
What stands out about how Gaffney is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
Cherokee County School District
Gaffney’s K–12 school district, shared with Blacksburg. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $14,757 per pupil, $8,517 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.
About $1,298 per resident a year, or $3.56 a day
Day-to-day services only (a Census Bureau estimate). The biggest line: police, at 26%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Gaffney didn’t report all of its 2023 figures to the Census Bureau, so most of these numbers are the Bureau’s estimates.
No comparison or trend for Gaffney yet
Every year of Gaffney’s figures is a Census Bureau estimate: the city reported none of its dollars for 2022–2023. 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 132 in 2022.
The typical homeowner pays $756 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.55% 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 Gaffney’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 Gaffney’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Gaffney →
Who’s in charge in Gaffney
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Gaffney’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on cityofgaffney-sc.gov ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 89 residents
On the payroll in March 2025, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2023 finance file (12,424).
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.
Gaffney’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 Gaffney alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Cherokee County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican75.3%18,697 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat23.9%5,939 votesOthers: 0.8% (203 votes).
Most votes in Cherokee County: Donald J Trump
South Carolina: Trump 58.2%, Harris 40.4%
100% of Gaffney lies in Cherokee County. Every 2024 race in Cherokee County is on the county’s page.
Cherokee 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 Gaffney.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: cityofgaffney-sc.gov ↗
- 2South Carolina HouseGaffney 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.
How Gaffney compares with the towns next door
Gaffney’s own figures are Census estimates, so it isn’t placed among its neighbors. 0 of the 0 towns next door reported 2022 figures. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Gaffney | estimate | $756 |
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 Gaffney’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Gaffney’s government
How much does Gaffney spend per resident?
About $1,298 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2023, a Census Bureau estimate (Gaffney didn’t report its figures). With building projects and interest, the whole budget was about $17.7 million.
What is the property tax rate in Gaffney?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $756 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.55% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.48% across South Carolina. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see cityofgaffney-sc.gov.
Who runs Gaffney’s government?
See cityofgaffney-sc.gov for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Gaffney yet.
How did Gaffney vote in 2024?
South Carolina counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Gaffney alone. Cherokee County, where 100% of Gaffney lies, voted Trump 75.3%, Harris 23.9% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Gaffney?
140 full-time and 4 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $627,741 (about $7.5M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Gaffney in the state legislature?
Gaffney 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 14 (Harvey Peeler). Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Gaffney’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 Gaffney, 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 →