Grand Prairie spent more per resident in 2022 than 100% of similar cities
Grand Prairie’s city government spent $356.5 million on day-to-day services in the year to September 30, 2023, about $1,806 per resident. That is its newest year reported to the Census Bureau. Water and other utilities ($36.7 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Grand Prairie is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$1,674 per resident in 2022: more than 100% of them
Grand Prairie’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,674 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 16 Texas cities of 100,000–249,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,118, and the middle half spent $905–$1,346. Grand Prairie spent more than 100% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($40 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 100,000–249,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Grand Prairie itself left out).
About $1,806 per resident a year, or $4.95 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 21%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is up 9% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Grand Prairie 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: $1,674 · 2023: $1,806.
full-time in March 2025, up from 1,373 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 $4,954 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.68% 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 Grand Prairie’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 Grand Prairie’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Grand Prairie →
Who’s in charge in Grand Prairie
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Grand Prairie’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on gptx.org ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 139 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 (197,347).
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.
Grand Prairie Independent School District
Grand Prairie’s K–12 school district. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $11,877 per pupil, $6,603 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.
Arlington Independent School District · $12,690 per pupil
Mansfield Independent School District · $12,023 per pupil
Midlothian Independent School District · $11,748 per pupil
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Grand Prairie’s votes are counted by county
Texas reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Grand Prairie 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%
63% of Grand Prairie lies in Dallas County; the rest in Tarrant County, Ellis 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
Grand Prairie sends 6 representatives to the Texas House alone.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: gptx.org ↗
- 2Texas HouseGrand Prairie is split between 6 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 Grand Prairie compares with the towns next door
Grand Prairie spent $1,674 per resident in 2022; the 5 neighbors that reported 2022 spent $1,044 to $1,585. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Arlington | $1,044 | $4,716 |
| Midlothian | $1,100 | $6,386 |
| Irving | $1,299 | $4,752 |
| Fort Worth | $1,407 | $5,191 |
| Dallas | $1,585 | $5,075 |
| Cedar Hill | estimate | $5,347 |
| Mansfield | estimate | $7,645 |
| Grand Prairie | $1,674 | $4,954 |
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 Grand Prairie’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Grand Prairie’s government
How much does Grand Prairie spend per resident?
About $1,806 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 $1,674 was more than 100% of 16 Texas cities of 100,000–249,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Grand Prairie?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $4,954 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.68% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.49% across Texas. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see gptx.org.
Who runs Grand Prairie’s government?
See gptx.org for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Grand Prairie yet.
How did Grand Prairie vote in 2024?
Texas counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Grand Prairie alone. Dallas County, where 63% of Grand Prairie lies, voted Harris 59.9%, Trump 37.8% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Grand Prairie?
1,415 full-time and 265 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $11.7M (about $140.7M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Grand Prairie in the state legislature?
Grand Prairie is split among 6 State House districts and 3 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 Grand Prairie’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 →