Photo: Michael Barera · CC BY-SA 4.0Bowie spent more per resident in 2022 than 93% of similar cities
Bowie’s city government spent $9.5 million on day-to-day services in the year to September 30, 2024, about $1,650 per resident. Water and other utilities ($7.9 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Bowie is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$1,865 per resident in 2022: more than 93% of them
Bowie’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,865 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 175 Texas cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $880, and the middle half spent $630–$1,278. Bowie spent more than 93% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($2.3 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 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Bowie itself left out).
About $1,650 per resident a year, or $4.52 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 23%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is down 1% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Bowie 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: $1,865 · 2024: $1,650. Per resident it went from $1,865 to $1,650 (down 12%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 5,140 to 5,738.
full-time in March 2025, up from 84 in 2022. Both are Census estimates.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $1,703 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.98% 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 Bowie’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 Bowie’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Bowie →
Who’s in charge in Bowie
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time city employee for every 65 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 (5,738).
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.
Bowie Independent School District
Bowie’s K–12 school district. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $11,260 per pupil, $6,690 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.
Bowie’s votes are counted by county
Texas reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Bowie alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Montague County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican88.5%9,825 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat10.9%1,208 votesOthers: 0.6% (64 votes).
Most votes in Montague County: Donald J Trump
Texas: Trump 56.1%, Harris 42.5%
100% of Bowie lies in Montague County. Every 2024 race in Montague County is on the county’s page.
Montague 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 Bowie.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilLocal officials aren’t on record yet.
- 2Texas HouseState representatives
- 3Texas SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Texas
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
Reach Bowie’s government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about Bowie’s government
How much does Bowie spend per resident?
About $1,650 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to September 30, 2024, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $1,865 was more than 93% of 175 Texas cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Bowie?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,703 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.98% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.49% across Texas. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see the city’s assessor.
Who runs Bowie’s government?
We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Bowie yet.
How did Bowie vote in 2024?
Texas counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Bowie alone. Montague County, where 100% of Bowie lies, voted Trump 88.5%, Harris 10.9% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Bowie?
88 full-time and 4 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $418,336 (about $5.0M a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.
Who represents Bowie in the state legislature?
State Senate District 30 (Brent Hagenbuch) and State House District 68 (David Spiller). The House district also covers 40 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Bowie’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 →