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Rocky-Top-city-hall-tn1Photo: Brian Stansberry · CC BY 3.0
Town Hall · Rocky Top

How is Rocky Top run?

Rocky Top’s city government spent $2.7 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2022, about $1,535 per resident. These are Census Bureau estimates: Rocky Top didn’t report its figures, so this page shows them without comparisons.

Day-to-day spending, 2022
$2.7M
year to June 30, 2022 · Census estimate
Per resident, 2022
$1,535
Census estimate · not compared
Long-term debt
$1.1M
end of FY2022 · Census estimate
City staff, 2022
27
full-time · 24 part-time · March payroll $95,049 · Census estimate
Typical tax bill
$919
0.62% of home value · TN 0.50%

What stands out about how Rocky Top is run

Read from the city’s budget and official records.

Runs its own water & sewer19% of day-to-day spending goes to water, sewer and trash (a Census estimate).A shared school districtShares Anderson County School District with 2 other towns.Split between districts3 State House districts cover Rocky Top; your street decides yours.Its own police and fire8 sworn officers and 4 full-time firefighters on the payroll.
★ What stands out · Your share of the 2022 budget

About $1,535 per resident a year, or $4.21 a day

Day-to-day services only (a Census Bureau estimate). The biggest line: police, at 19%.

Where the money comes from
Sales taxes 30%From the state 23%Property taxes 16%Fees & charges 14%Utility sales 9%Interest, fines & other 4%From other local governments 4%Other taxes & licenses <1%
An estimate

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

Not in the receipt.Building projects $290,000; interest on debt $19,000. With these and the enterprises, the whole budget was $3.3 million.
About “Other”.39% of Rocky Top’s day-to-day spending ($1.1 million) 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 Rocky Top yet

Every year of Rocky Top’s figures is a Census Bureau estimate: the city 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 $919 a year

Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.62% of the home’s value, vs 0.50% across Tennessee.

What homes cost →

Typical yearly bill next door and statewide

Tennessee$1,442
Rocky Top$919
$919
typical bill a year
0.62%
effective rate
$149,100
typical home value (Census)
Your own bill

The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Rocky Top’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 Rocky Top’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Rocky Top →

Who runs it

Who’s in charge in Rocky Top

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

Check Rocky Top’s own website for current officialsWe name an official only when a public source lists a current term. None does for Rocky Top yet.
Who works for Rocky Top

One full-time city employee for every 66 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 (1,774).

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

Police10 + 5 pt
Fire4 + 12 pt
Administration & buildings3 + 7 pt
Sewer & trash4
Water & other utilities3
Parks & libraries2
Roads & transportation1
27
full-time
24
part-time
$95,049
payroll for March 2022
$1.1M
a year, estimated (March × 12)
$39,100
average full-time pay, before benefits (March × 12)
8
sworn police officers
4
full-time firefighters
Estimates.Rocky Top didn’t report its staff figures; these are the Census Bureau’s estimates, so they aren’t compared with other towns.

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

Anderson County School District

Rocky Top’s K–12 school district, shared with Norris, Oliver Springs. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.

Schools in Rocky Top →
$12,945
per pupil · TN $12,297
6,317
students
$26.6 million
long-term debt

Of the $12,945 per pupil, $7,418 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 36%State 39%Federal 24%

Tennessee districts overall: 42% local, 40% state, 18% federal.

Also serving Rocky Top

Campbell County School District · $11,007 per pupil

School year 2022–23. Census Bureau school finance survey.

Elections · 2024 general election

Rocky Top’s votes are counted by county

Tennessee reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Rocky Top alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Anderson County’s results.

President · Anderson County’s results36,548 votes · results as certified
Donald J TrumpDonald J TrumpRepublican67.3%24,582 votes
Kamala D HarrisKamala D HarrisDemocrat31.5%11,525 votes

Others: 1.2% (441 votes).

Most votes in Anderson County: Donald J Trump

Tennessee: Trump 64.2%, Harris 34.5%

The county’s page

97% of Rocky Top lies in Anderson County; the rest in Campbell County. Every 2024 race in Anderson County is on the county’s page.

Anderson 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 Rocky Top

From town hall to Washington

Every level of government that speaks for Rocky Top.

2024 results ↑
  1. 1
    Your cityMayor & council
    Local officials aren’t on record yet.
  2. 2
    Tennessee HouseRocky Top is split between 3 districts
    Rick ScarbroughEd ButlerDennis Powers
  3. 3
    Tennessee SenateState senator
    Randy McNallyKen Yager
  4. 4
    GovernorStatewide
    Bill Lee
  5. 5
    U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
    Charles J. "Chuck" Fleischmann
  6. 6
    U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Tennessee
    Marsha BlackburnBill Hagerty
Find your state legislators by address ↗

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

Reach Rocky Top’s government

Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.

The Handbook →

Questions about Rocky Top’s government

How much does Rocky Top spend per resident?

About $1,535 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2022, a Census Bureau estimate (Rocky Top didn’t report its figures). With building projects and interest, the whole budget was about $3.3 million.

What is the property tax rate in Rocky Top?

Homeowners report a typical bill of $919 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.62% 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 Rocky Top’s government?

We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Rocky Top yet.

How did Rocky Top vote in 2024?

Tennessee counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Rocky Top alone. Anderson County, where 97% of Rocky Top lies, voted Trump 67.3%, Harris 31.5% for president; its page has every race.

How many people work for Rocky Top?

27 full-time and 24 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $95,049 (about $1.1M a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.

Who represents Rocky Top in the state legislature?

Rocky Top is split among 3 State House districts and 2 State Senate districts, so your address decides. The Tennessee Legislature’s lookup finds yours. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.

Ask neighbors about Rocky Top’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 Rocky Top, 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 →