Photo: Renelibrary · CC BY-SA 4.0Gainesville spent more per resident in 2022 than 87% of similar cities
Gainesville’s city government spent $23.9 million on day-to-day services in the year to September 30, 2023, about $1,358 per resident. Water and other utilities ($3.6 million) and the airport ($1.6 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Gainesville is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$1,397 per resident in 2022: more than 87% of them
Gainesville’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,397 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 68 Texas cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $976, and the middle half spent $726–$1,280. Gainesville spent more than 87% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($4.2 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 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Gainesville itself left out).
About $1,358 per resident a year, or $3.72 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 24%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is up 1% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Gainesville 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: $1,397 · 2023: $1,358.
full-time in March 2025, up from 156 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 $2,382 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.35% 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 Gainesville’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 Gainesville’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Gainesville →
Who’s in charge in Gainesville
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Gainesville’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on gainesville.tx.us ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 80 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 (17,576).
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.
Gainesville Independent School District
Gainesville’s K–12 school district. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $12,820 per pupil, $7,503 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.
Lindsay Independent School District · $13,911 per pupil
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Gainesville’s votes are counted by county
Texas reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Gainesville alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Cooke County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican83.0%16,975 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat16.2%3,310 votesOthers: 0.8% (162 votes).
Most votes in Cooke County: Donald J Trump
Texas: Trump 56.1%, Harris 42.5%
100% of Gainesville lies in Cooke County. Every 2024 race in Cooke County is on the county’s page.
Cooke 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 Gainesville.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: gainesville.tx.us ↗
- 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.
How Gainesville compares with the towns next door
Gainesville spent $1,397 per resident in 2022; the neighbor that reported 2022 spent $477. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Lindsay | $477 | $4,739 |
| Gainesville | $1,397 | $2,382 |
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 Gainesville’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Gainesville’s government
How much does Gainesville spend per resident?
About $1,358 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to September 30, 2023, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $1,397 was more than 87% of 68 Texas cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Gainesville?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $2,382 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.35% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.49% across Texas. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see gainesville.tx.us.
Who runs Gainesville’s government?
See gainesville.tx.us for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Gainesville yet.
How did Gainesville vote in 2024?
Texas counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Gainesville alone. Cooke County, where 100% of Gainesville lies, voted Trump 83.0%, Harris 16.2% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Gainesville?
220 full-time and 13 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $1.3M (about $16.1M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Gainesville 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 Gainesville’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 →