How is DeSoto run?
DeSoto’s city government spent $63.1 million on day-to-day services in the year to September 30, 2023, about $1,133 per resident. That is its newest year reported to the Census Bureau. Water and other utilities ($10.5 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how DeSoto is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
About $1,133 per resident a year, or $3.10 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 23%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
No comparison or trend for DeSoto yet
The fair comparison uses 2022, the last year the Census Bureau counted every government (later years are a sample), and DeSoto’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 355 in 2022.
The typical homeowner pays $5,316 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.66% 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 DeSoto’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 DeSoto’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in DeSoto →
Who’s in charge in DeSoto
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
DeSoto’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on ci.desoto.tx.us ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 125 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 (55,729).
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.
DeSoto Independent School District
DeSoto’s K–12 school district, shared with Glenn Heights. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $13,331 per pupil, $6,379 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.
Dallas Independent School District · $15,160 per pupil
Duncanville Independent School District · $12,376 per pupil
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
DeSoto’s votes are counted by county
Texas reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for DeSoto 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%
100% of DeSoto lies in Dallas 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
Every level of government that speaks for DeSoto.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: ci.desoto.tx.us ↗
- 2Texas HouseDeSoto is split between 2 districts
- 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.
How DeSoto compares with the towns next door
DeSoto’s 2022 figures are a Census estimate, so it isn’t placed among them. Neighbors that reported 2022 spent $830 to $1,585 per resident. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Glenn Heights | $830 | $4,680 |
| Lancaster | $1,060 | $3,869 |
| Duncanville | $1,223 | $3,893 |
| Dallas | $1,585 | $5,075 |
| Cedar Hill | estimate | $5,347 |
| DeSoto | estimate | $5,316 |
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 DeSoto’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about DeSoto’s government
How much does DeSoto spend per resident?
About $1,133 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 DeSoto?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $5,316 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.66% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.49% across Texas. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see ci.desoto.tx.us.
Who runs DeSoto’s government?
See ci.desoto.tx.us for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for DeSoto yet.
How did DeSoto vote in 2024?
Texas counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for DeSoto alone. Dallas County, where 100% of DeSoto lies, voted Harris 59.9%, Trump 37.8% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for DeSoto?
445 full-time and 42 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $3.3M (about $39.9M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents DeSoto in the state legislature?
DeSoto is split among 2 State House districts, so your address decides. The Texas Legislature’s lookup finds yours. Its State Senate district is District 23 (Royce West). Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about DeSoto’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 →