Photo: Michael Barera · CC BY-SA 4.0Highland Park spent more per resident in 2022 than 99% of similar cities
Highland Park’s city government spent $28.8 million on day-to-day services in the year to September 30, 2022, about $3,181 per resident. Water and other utilities ($1.4 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Highland Park is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$3,181 per resident in 2022: more than 99% of them
Highland Park’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($3,181 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 175 Texas cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $880, and the middle half spent $630–$1,278. Highland Park spent more than 99% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($3.7 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 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Highland Park itself left out).
About $3,181 per resident a year, or $8.72 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: fire, at 23%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
No trend yet
Highland Park reported only 2022 to the Census Bureau, so there is no trend yet.
Typical bills top $10,000 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Highland Park’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 Highland Park’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Highland Park →
Who’s in charge in Highland Park
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Highland Park’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on hptx.org ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 78 residents
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2022 finance file (9,050).
By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2022
The Census reports one month’s payroll (March); yearly figures are that month × 12, an estimate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.
Highland Park Independent School District
Highland Park’s K–12 school district, shared with University Park. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $13,566 per pupil, $8,438 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
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Highland Park’s votes are counted by county
Texas reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Highland Park 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 Highland Park 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 Highland Park.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: hptx.org ↗
- 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 Highland Park compares with the towns next door
Highland Park spent $3,181 per resident in 2022; the neighbor that reported 2022 spent $351. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| University Park | $351 | $10,000+ |
| Highland Park | $3,181 | $10,000+ |
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 Highland Park’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Highland Park’s government
How much does Highland Park spend per resident?
About $3,181 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to September 30, 2022, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $3,181 was more than 99% of 175 Texas cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools.
Who runs Highland Park’s government?
See hptx.org for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Highland Park yet.
How did Highland Park vote in 2024?
Texas counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Highland Park alone. Dallas County, where 100% of Highland Park lies, voted Harris 59.9%, Trump 37.8% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Highland Park?
116 full-time and 7 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $1.1M (about $13.0M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Highland Park in the state legislature?
State Senate District 12 (Tan Parker) and State House District 108 (Morgan Meyer). The House district also covers two neighboring towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Highland Park’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 →