Photo: Theunderratedtaco · CC BY 4.0How is Harlingen run?
Harlingen’s city government spent $83.1 million on day-to-day services in the year to September 30, 2024, about $1,160 per resident. Water and other utilities ($8.9 million) and the airport ($7.5 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Harlingen is run
Read from the city’s budget, meetings and official records.
3 upcoming meetings at town hall
From Harlingen’s own agenda portal, checked daily. Agendas can change up to the meeting, so check before you go.
- Nov3Zoning Board of AdjustmentsTuesday · 5:30 pm · 118 E. Tyler Ave.Zoning Board of Adjustment Regular MeetingAgenda ↗Meeting page ↗Add to calendar
- Nov4City CommissionWednesday · 5:30 pm · 118 E. Tyler AvenueRegular City Commission MeetingAgenda ↗Meeting page ↗Add to calendar
- Nov5Harlingen Public LibraryThursday · 5:30 pm · 410 '76 DriveHarlingen Public Library Advisory BoardAgenda ↗Meeting page ↗Add to calendar
Recent meetings
- Oct29Firemen's Pension BoardThursday · 6:00 pm · 24200 North FM 509Fireman's Pension Board MeetingAgenda ↗Meeting page ↗
- Oct27Planning & ZoningTuesday · 5:30 pm · 118 E. Tyler AvePlanning and Zoning Regular MeetingAgenda ↗Meeting page ↗
- Oct21City CommissionWednesday · 5:30 pm · 118 E. Tyler AvenueCity Commission MeetingAgenda ↗Minutes ↗Meeting page ↗
- Oct20GeneralTuesday · 5:30 pm · 3002 Heritage WayAirport Board Regular MeetingAgenda ↗Meeting page ↗
- Oct20Parks & RecreationsTuesday · 5:15 pm · 502 E. Tyler AveParks and Recreation Advisory Board - CANCELEDAgenda ↗Meeting page ↗
Most meetings are open to the public, and many have a public comment period at the start.
Agenda portal ↗About $1,160 per resident a year, or $3.18 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 22%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$1,230 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Harlingen’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,230 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 17 Texas cities of 50,000–99,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,183, and the middle half spent $1,043–$1,401. Harlingen spent more than 59% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($17.5 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 50,000–99,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Harlingen itself left out).
Day-to-day spending is up 4% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Harlingen 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: $1,230 · 2024: $1,160. Per resident it went from $1,230 to $1,160 (down 6%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 65,176 to 71,678.
full-time in March 2025, up from 738 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 $2,059 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.46% 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 Harlingen’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 Harlingen’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Harlingen →
Who’s in charge in Harlingen
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time city employee for every 85 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 (71,678).
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.
Harlingen Consolidated Independent School District
Harlingen’s K–12 school district, shared with Combes, Palm Valley, Primera. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $13,843 per pupil, $7,613 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.
San Benito Consolidated Independent School District · $13,967 per pupil
Rio Hondo Independent School District · $15,161 per pupil
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Harlingen’s votes are counted by county
Texas reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Harlingen alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Cameron County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican52.4%60,991 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat46.6%54,258 votesOthers: 0.9% (1,060 votes).
Most votes in Cameron County: Donald J Trump
Texas: Trump 56.1%, Harris 42.5%
100% of Harlingen lies in Cameron County. Every 2024 race in Cameron County is on the county’s page.
Cameron 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 Harlingen.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: myharlingen.us ↗
- 2Texas HouseHarlingen 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 Harlingen compares with the towns next door
Harlingen spent $1,230 per resident in 2022; the neighbor that reported 2022 spent $449. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Primera | $449 | $2,131 |
| San Benito | estimate | $1,286 |
| Combes | estimate | $1,924 |
| Palm Valley | estimate | $4,176 |
| Harlingen | $1,230 | $2,059 |
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 Harlingen’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Harlingen’s government
How much does Harlingen spend per resident?
About $1,160 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 $1,230 was more than 59% of 17 Texas cities of 50,000–99,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Harlingen?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $2,059 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.46% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.49% across Texas. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see myharlingen.us.
Who runs Harlingen’s government?
See myharlingen.us for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Harlingen yet.
How did Harlingen vote in 2024?
Texas counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Harlingen alone. Cameron County, where 100% of Harlingen lies, voted Trump 52.4%, Harris 46.6% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Harlingen?
839 full-time and 47 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $4.0M (about $48.5M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Harlingen in the state legislature?
Harlingen is split among 2 State House districts, so your address decides. The Texas Legislature’s lookup finds yours. Its State Senate district is District 27 (Adam Hinojosa). Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
When is the next public meeting in Harlingen?
The next posted meeting is Zoning Board of Adjustments on Tuesday, November 3, at 5:30 pm in 118 E. Tyler Ave., from the city’s own agenda portal.
Ask neighbors about Harlingen’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 →