Photo: Harrison Keely · CC BY 4.0How is Cleveland run?
Cleveland’s city government spent $147.4 million on day-to-day services in the year to July 31, 2024, about $3,035 per resident. These are Census Bureau estimates: Cleveland didn’t report its figures, so this page shows them without comparisons.
What stands out about how Cleveland is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
Cleveland City School District
Cleveland’s K–12 school district. The schools are run by Cleveland, so this money is part of the budget above.
Of the $12,469 per pupil, $7,786 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.
About $3,035 per resident a year, or $8.32 a day
Schools are part of the city’s budget, so they lead the receipt: 49% of day-to-day spending.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Cleveland runs its own schools, so school spending is part of this budget.
Cleveland 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 Cleveland yet
Every year of Cleveland’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 1,044 in 2022. Both are Census estimates.
The typical homeowner pays $1,576 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.58% 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 Cleveland’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 Cleveland’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Cleveland →
Who’s in charge in Cleveland
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Cleveland’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on cityofclevelandtn.com ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 44 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 (48,557).
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.
Cleveland’s votes are counted by county
Tennessee reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Cleveland alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Bradley County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican78.9%38,836 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat20.0%9,852 votesOthers: 1.1% (558 votes).
Most votes in Bradley County: Donald J Trump
Tennessee: Trump 64.2%, Harris 34.5%
100% of Cleveland lies in Bradley County. Every 2024 race in Bradley County is on the county’s page.
Bradley 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 Cleveland.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: cityofclevelandtn.com ↗
- 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.
How Cleveland compares with the towns next door
Cleveland’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 |
|---|---|---|
| Cleveland | estimate | $1,576 |
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 Cleveland’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Cleveland’s government
How much does Cleveland spend per resident?
About $3,035 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to July 31, 2024, a Census Bureau estimate (Cleveland didn’t report its figures). With building projects and interest, the whole budget was about $367.8 million.
What is the property tax rate in Cleveland?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,576 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.58% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.50% across Tennessee. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see cityofclevelandtn.com.
Who runs Cleveland’s government?
See cityofclevelandtn.com for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Cleveland yet.
How did Cleveland vote in 2024?
Tennessee counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Cleveland alone. Bradley County, where 100% of Cleveland lies, voted Trump 78.9%, Harris 20.0% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Cleveland?
1,095 full-time and 115 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $5.5M (about $66.1M a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.
Who represents Cleveland in the state legislature?
State Senate District 1 (Adam Lowe) and State House District 24 (Kevin Raper). Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Cleveland’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 Cleveland, 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 →