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Marsh-Johnson HouseMarsh-Johnson House · Photo: Bill Fitzpatrick · CC BY-SA 3.0
Town Hall · Johnston

How is Johnston run?

Johnston’s town government spent $1.3 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2022, about $541 per resident. These are Census Bureau estimates: Johnston didn’t report its figures, so this page shows them without comparisons.

Town website
Election Day

Tomorrow

General election in South Carolina.

Register or check: vote.gov ↗
Day-to-day spending, 2022
$1.3M
year to June 30, 2022 · Census estimate
Per resident, 2022
$541
Census estimate · not compared
Long-term debt
Not reported
end of FY2022 · Census estimate
Town staff, 2022
18
full-time · 6 part-time · March payroll $58,391
Typical tax bill
$564
0.53% of home value · SC 0.48%

What stands out about how Johnston is run

Read from the town’s budget and official records.

★ What stands out · Your share of the 2022 budget

About $541 per resident a year, or $1.48 a day

Day-to-day services only (a Census Bureau estimate). The biggest line: police, at 33%.

Where the money comes from
Property taxes 51%Sales taxes 23%Other taxes & licenses 17%From other local governments 6%Interest, fines & other 3%
An estimate

Johnston didn’t report all of its 2022 figures to the Census Bureau, so most of these numbers are the Bureau’s estimates.

About “Other”.33% of Johnston’s day-to-day spending ($425,000) is filed by the Census Bureau outside the named functions above, so the receipt can’t say what it buys.
Compared with similar places · Over the years

No comparison or trend for Johnston yet

Every year of Johnston’s figures is a Census Bureau estimate: the town reported none of its dollars for 2022. Estimates are shown above, labeled, but never ranked against places that reported or drawn as a trend.

How Town Hall compares budgets →
Property tax

The typical homeowner pays $564 a year

Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.53% of the home’s value, vs 0.48% across South Carolina.

What homes cost →

Typical yearly bill next door and statewide

South Carolina$1,251
Johnston$564
$564
typical bill a year
0.53%
effective rate
$106,600
typical home value (Census)
Your own bill

The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Johnston’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. In a town this small the estimate has a wide margin.

Tax bills are one input to Johnston’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Johnston →

Who runs it

Who’s in charge in Johnston

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

See johnstonsc.us for Johnston’s current officialsWe name an official only when a public source lists a current term. None does for Johnston yet.johnstonsc.us ↗
Agendas

Johnston’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The town posts agendas and minutes on johnstonsc.us ↗.

Who works for Johnston

One full-time town employee for every 133 residents

On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2022 finance file (2,395).

By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2022

Police9
Sewer & trash7 + 1 pt
Administration & buildings2 + 5 pt
18
full-time
6
part-time
$58,391
payroll for March 2022
$700,692
a year, estimated (March × 12)
$37,600
average full-time pay, before benefits (March × 12)
9
sworn police officers
Not compared.Staff are compared with the same group as the budget, and Johnston’s 2022 budget was a Census estimate, so there is no group to compare with.

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

Edgefield County School District

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

Schools in Johnston →
$17,010
per pupil · SC $15,090
3,082
students
$54.3 million
long-term debt

Of the $17,010 per pupil, $9,066 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 37%State 50%Federal 13%

South Carolina districts overall: 45% local, 43% state, 13% federal.

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

Elections · 2024 general election

Johnston’s votes are counted by county

South Carolina reports official results by county and precinct, not by town, so there are no official results for Johnston alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Edgefield County’s results.

President · Edgefield County’s results13,919 votes · results as certified
Donald J TrumpDonald J TrumpRepublican65.3%9,092 votes
Kamala D HarrisKamala D HarrisDemocrat33.5%4,659 votes

Others: 1.2% (168 votes).

Most votes in Edgefield County: Donald J Trump

South Carolina: Trump 58.2%, Harris 40.4%

The county’s page

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

Edgefield 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 Johnston

From town hall to Washington

Every level of government that speaks for Johnston.

2024 results ↑
  1. 1
    Your townTown government
  2. 2
    South Carolina HouseState representatives
  3. 3
    South Carolina SenateState senator
  4. 4
    GovernorStatewide
  5. 5
    U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
  6. 6
    U.S. SenateBoth represent all of South Carolina

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

Reach Johnston’s government

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

The Handbook →

Questions about Johnston’s government

How much does Johnston spend per resident?

About $541 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2022, a Census Bureau estimate (Johnston didn’t report its figures). With building projects and interest, the whole budget was about $1.3 million.

What is the property tax rate in Johnston?

Homeowners report a typical bill of $564 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.53% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.48% across South Carolina. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see johnstonsc.us.

Who runs Johnston’s government?

See johnstonsc.us for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Johnston yet.

How did Johnston vote in 2024?

South Carolina counts votes by county and precinct, not by town, so there are no official results for Johnston alone. Edgefield County, where 100% of Johnston lies, voted Trump 65.3%, Harris 33.5% for president; its page has every race.

How many people work for Johnston?

18 full-time and 6 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $58,391 (about $700,692 a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.

Who represents Johnston in the state legislature?

State Senate District 25 (Shane Massey) and State House District 82 (Bill Clyburn). The House district also covers five other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.

Ask neighbors about Johnston’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 (for Johnston, 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 →