How is China run?
China’s city government spent $0 on day-to-day services in the year to September 30, 2022, about $0 per resident. These are Census Bureau estimates: China didn’t report its figures, so this page shows them without comparisons.
What stands out about how China is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
Hardin-Jefferson Independent School District
China’s K–12 school district, shared with Bevil Oaks, Nome, Sour Lake. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $10,753 per pupil, $5,767 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.
No comparison or trend for China yet
Every year of China’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 →The typical homeowner pays $1,803 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.97% 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 China’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 China’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in China →
Who’s in charge in China
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time city employee for every 301 residents
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2022 finance file (1,204).
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.
China’s votes are counted by county
Texas reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for China alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Jefferson County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican53.9%46,596 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat45.0%38,936 votesOthers: 1.0% (901 votes).
Most votes in Jefferson County: Donald J Trump
Texas: Trump 56.1%, Harris 42.5%
100% of China lies in Jefferson County. Every 2024 race in Jefferson County is on the county’s page.
Jefferson 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 China.
- 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 China’s government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about China’s government
How much does China spend per resident?
About $0 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to September 30, 2022, a Census Bureau estimate (China didn’t report its figures). With building projects and interest, the whole budget was about $4,000.
What is the property tax rate in China?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,803 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.97% 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 China’s government?
We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for China yet.
How did China vote in 2024?
Texas counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for China alone. Jefferson County, where 100% of China lies, voted Trump 53.9%, Harris 45.0% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for China?
4 full-time and 1 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $19,499 (about $233,988 a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents China in the state legislature?
State Senate District 4 (Brett Ligon) and State House District 21 (Dade Phelan). The House district also covers 16 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about China’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 (for China, 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 →