Photo: Patrick Feller · CC BY 2.0Baytown spent more per resident in 2022 than 88% of similar cities
Baytown’s city government spent $121.5 million on day-to-day services in the year to September 30, 2024, about $1,440 per resident. It also runs a hospital ($5.8 million) and water utilities ($27.1 million), counted separately. Census Bureau figures.
What stands out about how Baytown is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
About $1,440 per resident a year, or $3.95 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 31%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$1,833 per resident in 2022: more than 88% of them
Baytown’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,833 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 17 Texas cities of 50,000–99,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,183, and the middle half spent $1,043–$1,361. Baytown spent more than 88% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($17.9 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 →
Texas cities of 50,000–99,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Baytown itself left out).
Day-to-day spending is down 14% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Baytown reported to the Census Bureau. Prices rose too: about 4% a year in 2022–2024.
Day-to-day spending by fiscal year
Per resident: 2022: $1,833 · 2023: $1,716 · 2024: $1,440. Per resident it went from $1,833 to $1,440 (down 21%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 77,288 to 84,324.
full-time in March 2025 (hospital, health & welfare left out), up from 828 in 2022.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $3,175 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.61% 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 Baytown’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 Baytown’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Baytown →
Who’s in charge in Baytown
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Baytown’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on baytown.org ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 96 residents, not counting hospital, health & welfare staff
On the payroll in March 2025, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (84,324).
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.
Goose Creek Consolidated Independent School District
Baytown’s K–12 school district. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $12,516 per pupil, $7,234 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.
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Baytown’s votes are counted by county
Texas reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Baytown alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Harris County’s results.
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat51.9%808,771 votes
Donald J TrumpRepublican46.4%722,695 votesOthers: 1.7% (26,018 votes).
Most votes in Harris County: Kamala D Harris
Texas: Trump 56.1%, Harris 42.5%
94% of Baytown lies in Harris County; the rest in Chambers County. Every 2024 race in Harris County is on the county’s page.
Harris 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 Baytown.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: baytown.org ↗
- 2Texas HouseBaytown is split between 3 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 Baytown compares with the towns next door
Baytown spent $1,833 per resident in 2022; the neighbor that reported 2022 spent $1,444. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Houston | $1,444 | $4,198 |
| Beach City | estimate | $3,553 |
| Mont Belvieu | estimate | $4,913 |
| Baytown | $1,833 | $3,175 |
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 Baytown’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Baytown’s government
How much does Baytown spend per resident?
About $1,440 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to September 30, 2024, as reported to the Census Bureau. Baytown also runs a hospital ($5.8 million), counted separately. In 2022, the last full count, its $1,833 was more than 88% of 17 Texas cities of 50,000–99,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Baytown?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $3,175 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.61% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.49% across Texas. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see baytown.org.
Who runs Baytown’s government?
See baytown.org for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Baytown yet.
How did Baytown vote in 2024?
Texas counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Baytown alone. Harris County, where 94% of Baytown lies, voted Harris 51.9%, Trump 46.4% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Baytown?
874 full-time and 77 part-time employees in March 2025 (plus 37 full-time hospital, health & welfare staff), with a March payroll of $7.1M (about $85.5M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Baytown in the state legislature?
Baytown is split among 3 State House districts and 3 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 Baytown’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 →