Photo: Carl Wycoff from Nevada, USA · CC BY 2.0How is Covington run?
Covington’s city government spent $7.5 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2022, about $848 per resident. That is its newest year reported to the Census Bureau. Water and other utilities ($29 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Covington is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
About $848 per resident a year, or $2.32 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 47%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$848 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Covington’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($848 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 43 Tennessee cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $698, and the middle half spent $418–$1,168. Covington spent more than 58% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($3.5 million), 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 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Covington itself left out).
No trend yet
Covington reported only 2022 to the Census Bureau (2023, 2024 are estimates), so there is no trend yet.
The typical homeowner pays $1,253 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.67% 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 Covington’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 Covington’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Covington →
Who’s in charge in Covington
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Covington’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on covingtontn.com ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 52 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 (8,810).
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.
Tipton County School District
Covington’s K–12 school district, shared with Atoka, Brighton, Burlison, Garland, Gilt Edge and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $10,338 per pupil, $6,361 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.
Covington’s votes are counted by county
Tennessee reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Covington alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Tipton County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican75.9%20,303 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat23.1%6,178 votesOthers: 0.9% (252 votes).
Most votes in Tipton County: Donald J Trump
Tennessee: Trump 64.2%, Harris 34.5%
100% of Covington lies in Tipton County. Every 2024 race in Tipton County is on the county’s page.
Tipton 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 Covington.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: covingtontn.com ↗
- 2Tennessee HouseState representatives
- 3Tennessee SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseSplit between districts
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Tennessee
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
Reach Covington’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Covington’s government
How much does Covington spend per resident?
About $848 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 $848 was more than 58% of 43 Tennessee cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Covington?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,253 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.67% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.50% across Tennessee. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see covingtontn.com.
Who runs Covington’s government?
See covingtontn.com for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Covington yet.
How did Covington vote in 2024?
Tennessee counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Covington alone. Tipton County, where 100% of Covington lies, voted Trump 75.9%, Harris 23.1% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Covington?
171 full-time and 23 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $785,409 (about $9.4M a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.
Who represents Covington in the state legislature?
State Senate District 32 (Paul Rose) and State House District 81 (Debra Moody). The House district also covers seven other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Covington’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 →