Dealey Plaza Historic District · Photo: Renelibrary · CC BY-SA 4.0Dallas spent more per resident in 2022 than 92% of similar cities
Dallas’ city government spent $2.4 billion on day-to-day services in the year to September 30, 2024, about $1,859 per resident. Water and other utilities ($277 million) and the airport ($864.4 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Dallas is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
Who’s in charge in Dallas
From public records with a current term; a name is hidden the day its term ends.
Council members and agencies: dallascityhall.com ↗
Dallas’ meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on dallascityhall.com ↗.
About $1,859 per resident a year, or $5.09 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 27%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$1,585 per resident in 2022: more than 92% of them
Dallas’ day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,585 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 665 Texas cities that don’t run their own schools: the median was $720, and the middle half spent $350–$1,101. Dallas spent more than 92% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($290.7 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 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Dallas itself left out).
Day-to-day spending is up 13% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Dallas 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: $1,585 · 2023: $1,754 · 2024: $1,859.
full-time in March 2025, up from 14,801 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 $5,075 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.58% 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 Dallas’ 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 Dallas’ Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Dallas →
One full-time city employee for every 79 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 (1,299,544).
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.
Dallas Independent School District
Dallas’ K–12 school district, shared with Cockrell Hill, Addison, Wilmer, Hutchins, Seagoville and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $15,160 per pupil, $8,210 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.
Richardson Independent School District · $12,395 per pupil
Duncanville Independent School District · $12,376 per pupil
Plano Independent School District · $12,149 per pupil
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Dallas’ votes are counted by county
Texas reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Dallas alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Dallas County’s results.
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat59.9%511,027 votes
Donald J TrumpRepublican37.8%322,468 votesOthers: 2.3% (19,841 votes).
Most votes in Dallas County: Kamala D Harris
Texas: Trump 56.1%, Harris 42.5%
94% of Dallas lies in Dallas County; the rest in Collin County, Denton County, Kaufman County, Rockwall County. Every 2024 race in Dallas County is on the county’s page.
Dallas 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
Dallas sends 13 representatives to the Texas House alone.
- 1Your cityMayorEric Johnsonas listed by Open States, October 9, 2026
- 2Texas HouseDallas is split between 13 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 Dallas compares with the towns next door
No neighbor is close in size, so the comparison above uses Texas cities that don’t run their own schools. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Carrollton | $1,015 | $5,563 |
| Rowlett | $1,043 | $5,867 |
| Garland | $1,088 | $4,263 |
| Irving | $1,299 | $4,752 |
| Grand Prairie | $1,674 | $4,954 |
| Rockwall | estimate | $6,032 |
| Cedar Hill | estimate | $5,347 |
| Mesquite | estimate | $3,859 |
| Coppell | estimate | $10,000+ |
| Heath | estimate | $10,000+ |
| Dallas | $1,585 | $5,075 |
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 Dallas’ government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Dallas’ government
How much does Dallas spend per resident?
About $1,859 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 $1,585 was more than 92% of 665 Texas cities that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Dallas?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $5,075 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.58% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.49% across Texas. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see dallascityhall.com.
Who is the mayor of Dallas?
Eric Johnson, as listed by Open States (checked October 9, 2026). The council and agencies are listed on dallascityhall.com.
How did Dallas vote in 2024?
Texas counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Dallas alone. Dallas County, where 94% of Dallas lies, voted Harris 59.9%, Trump 37.8% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Dallas?
16,392 full-time and 93 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $130.3M (about $1.6B a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.
Who represents Dallas in the state legislature?
Dallas is split among 13 State House districts and 4 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 Dallas’ 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 →