Photo: Renelibrary · CC BY-SA 4.0Fort Worth spent more per resident in 2022 than 88% of similar cities
Fort Worth’s city government spent $1.6 billion on day-to-day services in the year to September 30, 2024, about $1,627 per resident. Water and other utilities ($182.1 million) and the airport ($30.1 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Fort Worth is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
Who’s in charge in Fort Worth
From public records with a current term; a name is hidden the day its term ends.
Council members and agencies: fortworthtexas.gov ↗
Fort Worth’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on fortworthtexas.gov ↗.
About $1,627 per resident a year, or $4.46 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 28%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$1,407 per resident in 2022: more than 88% of them
Fort Worth’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,407 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. Fort Worth spent more than 88% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($222.1 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; Fort Worth itself left out).
Day-to-day spending is up 19% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Fort Worth 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: $1,407 · 2023: $1,561 · 2024: $1,627.
full-time in March 2025, down from 6,266 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 $5,191 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.71% 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 Fort Worth’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 Fort Worth’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Fort Worth →
One full-time city employee for every 153 residents
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 (956,709).
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.
Fort Worth Independent School District
Fort Worth’s K–12 school district, shared with Benbrook, Westover Hills, Forest Hill, Westworth Village, Edgecliff Village. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $13,777 per pupil, $7,863 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.
Northwest Independent School District · $10,825 per pupil
Eagle Mountain-Saginaw Independent School District · $11,120 per pupil
Crowley Independent School District · $13,006 per pupil
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Fort Worth’s votes are counted by county
Texas reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Fort Worth alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Tarrant County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican51.8%426,626 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat46.7%384,501 votesOthers: 1.5% (12,185 votes).
Most votes in Tarrant County: Donald J Trump
Texas: Trump 56.1%, Harris 42.5%
98% of Fort Worth lies in Tarrant County; the rest in Denton County, Parker County, Johnson County, Wise County. Every 2024 race in Tarrant County is on the county’s page.
Tarrant 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
Fort Worth sends 10 representatives to the Texas House alone.
- 1Your cityMayorMattie Parkeras listed by Open States, October 9, 2026
- 2Texas HouseFort Worth is split between 11 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 Fort Worth compares with the towns next door
Fort Worth spent $1,407 per resident in 2022; the 8 neighbors that reported 2022 spent $632 to $2,286. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Forest Hill | $632 | $2,748 |
| Haltom City | $693 | $3,058 |
| Benbrook | $716 | $4,963 |
| Lakeside | $760 | $4,857 |
| Arlington | $1,044 | $4,716 |
| Euless | $1,223 | $4,652 |
| Grand Prairie | $1,674 | $4,954 |
| Northlake | $2,286 | $10,000+ |
| Everman | estimate | $3,201 |
| Fort Worth | $1,407 | $5,191 |
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 Fort Worth’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Fort Worth’s government
How much does Fort Worth spend per resident?
About $1,627 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 $1,407 was more than 88% of 665 Texas cities that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Fort Worth?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $5,191 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.71% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.49% across Texas. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see fortworthtexas.gov.
Who is the mayor of Fort Worth?
Mattie Parker, as listed by Open States (checked October 9, 2026). The council and agencies are listed on fortworthtexas.gov.
How did Fort Worth vote in 2024?
Texas counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Fort Worth alone. Tarrant County, where 98% of Fort Worth lies, voted Trump 51.8%, Harris 46.7% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Fort Worth?
6,236 full-time and 172 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $47.2M (about $566.7M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Fort Worth in the state legislature?
Fort Worth is split among 11 State House districts and 5 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 Fort Worth’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 →