Photo: Quintin Soloviev · CC BY 4.0How is Austin run?
Austin’s city government spent $2.1 billion on day-to-day services in the year to September 30, 2023, about $2,130 per resident. That is its newest year reported to the Census Bureau. Water and other utilities ($1.6 billion) and the airport ($146.8 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Austin is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
Who’s in charge in Austin
From public records with a current term; a name is hidden the day its term ends.
Council members and agencies: austintexas.gov ↗
Austin’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on austintexas.gov ↗.
About $2,130 per resident a year, or $5.84 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 17%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
No comparison or trend for Austin yet
The fair comparison uses 2022, the last year the Census Bureau counted every government (later years are a sample), and Austin’s 2022 figures are a Census estimate (it reported none of its 2022 dollars). It reported 2023 only (2022 and 2024 are estimates), so there is no trend yet either. The next full count is 2027.
How Town Hall compares budgets →full-time in March 2025, up from 14,733 in 2022.
The typical homeowner pays $8,024 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.44% of the home’s value, vs 1.49% across Texas.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Austin’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 Austin’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Austin →
One full-time city employee for every 59 residents
On the payroll in March 2025, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2023 finance file (964,177).
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.
Austin Independent School District
Austin’s K–12 school district, shared with San Leanna, Sunset Valley. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $14,133 per pupil, $7,639 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.
Texas districts overall: 51% local, 36% state, 13% federal.
Del Valle Independent School District · $13,965 per pupil
Round Rock Independent School District · $11,944 per pupil
Leander Independent School District · $10,850 per pupil
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Austin’s votes are counted by county
Texas reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Austin alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Travis County’s results.
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat68.3%398,968 votes
Donald J TrumpRepublican29.2%170,781 votesOthers: 2.4% (14,207 votes).
Most votes in Travis County: Kamala D Harris
Texas: Trump 56.1%, Harris 42.5%
93% of Austin lies in Travis County; the rest in Williamson County, Hays County, Bastrop County. Every 2024 race in Travis County is on the county’s page.
Travis 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
Austin sends 7 representatives to the Texas House alone.
- 1Your cityMayorKirk Watsonas listed by Open States, October 9, 2026
- 2Texas HouseAustin is split between 7 districts
- 3Texas SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseSplit between districts
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Texas
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
How Austin compares with the towns next door
Austin’s 2022 figures are a Census estimate, so it isn’t placed among them. Neighbors that reported 2022 spent $1,707 to $1,773 per resident. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| West Lake Hills | $1,707 | $10,000+ |
| Rollingwood | $1,773 | $10,000+ |
| Cedar Park | estimate | $8,893 |
| Round Rock | estimate | $6,424 |
| San Leanna | estimate | $6,755 |
| Austin | estimate | $8,024 |
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 Austin’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Austin’s government
How much does Austin spend per resident?
About $2,130 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to September 30, 2023, as reported to the Census Bureau.
What is the property tax rate in Austin?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $8,024 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.44% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.49% across Texas. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see austintexas.gov.
Who is the mayor of Austin?
Kirk Watson, as listed by Open States (checked October 9, 2026). The council and agencies are listed on austintexas.gov.
How did Austin vote in 2024?
Texas counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Austin alone. Travis County, where 93% of Austin lies, voted Harris 68.3%, Trump 29.2% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Austin?
16,469 full-time and 1,009 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $178.3M (about $2.1B a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Austin in the state legislature?
Austin is split among 7 State House districts and 5 State Senate districts, so your address decides. The Texas Legislature’s lookup finds yours. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Austin’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 →