Richland · Photo: Brian Stansberry · CC BY 3.0Blaine spent less per resident in 2022 than 73% of similar cities
Blaine’s city government spent $599,000 on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2022, about $320 per resident.
What stands out about how Blaine is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$320 per resident in 2022: less than 73% of them
Blaine’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($320 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 113 Tennessee cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $579, and the middle half spent $297–$828. Blaine spent less than 73% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($35,000), as the Census Bureau counts them. Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →
Tennessee cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Blaine itself left out).
About $320 per resident a year, or $0.88 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 34%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
No trend yet
Blaine reported only 2022 to the Census Bureau, so there is no trend yet.
The typical homeowner pays $1,318 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.44% of the home’s value, vs 0.50% across Tennessee.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Blaine’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 Blaine’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Blaine →
Who’s in charge in Blaine
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time city employee for every 312 residents
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll (a Census estimate). Residents: the Census population in the 2022 finance file (1,869).
By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2022
The Census reports one month’s payroll (March); yearly figures are that month × 12, an estimate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.
Grainger County School District
Blaine’s K–12 school district, shared with Rutledge, Bean Station. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $12,373 per pupil, $7,850 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.
Tennessee districts overall: 40% local, 44% state, 16% federal.
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Blaine’s votes are counted by county
Tennessee reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Blaine alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Grainger County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican86.5%9,630 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat12.9%1,432 votesOthers: 0.6% (68 votes).
Most votes in Grainger County: Donald J Trump
Tennessee: Trump 64.2%, Harris 34.5%
100% of Blaine lies in Grainger County. Every 2024 race in Grainger County is on the county’s page.
Grainger 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 Blaine.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilLocal officials aren’t on record yet.
- 2Tennessee HouseState representatives
- 3Tennessee SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Tennessee
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
Reach Blaine’s government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about Blaine’s government
How much does Blaine spend per resident?
About $320 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2022, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $320 was less than 73% of 113 Tennessee cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Blaine?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,318 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.44% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.50% across Tennessee. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see the city’s assessor.
Who runs Blaine’s government?
We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Blaine yet.
How did Blaine vote in 2024?
Tennessee counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Blaine alone. Grainger County, where 100% of Blaine lies, voted Trump 86.5%, Harris 12.9% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Blaine?
6 full-time and 5 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $22,833 (about $273,996 a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.
Who represents Blaine in the state legislature?
State Senate District 8 (Jessie Seal) and State House District 10 (Rick Eldridge). The House district also covers three neighboring towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Blaine’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 →