Photo: Lakeviews · CC BY-SA 4.0Little Elm spent less per resident in 2022 than 88% of similar cities
Little Elm’s town government spent $59.9 million on day-to-day services in the year to September 30, 2024, about $1,082 per resident. Water and other utilities ($9.7 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Little Elm is run
Read from the town’s budget and official records.
$937 per resident in 2022: less than 88% of them
Little Elm’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($937 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 $1,223, and the middle half spent $1,105–$1,401. Little Elm spent less than 88% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($6.4 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; Little Elm itself left out).
About $1,082 per resident a year, or $2.96 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 13% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Little Elm 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: $937 · 2023: $1,082 · 2024: $1,082.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $7,420 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.76% 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 Little Elm’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 Little Elm’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Little Elm →
Who’s in charge in Little Elm
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Little Elm’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The town posts agendas and minutes on littleelm.org ↗.
One full-time town employee for every 194 residents
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (55,357).
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.
Little Elm Independent School District
Little Elm’s K–12 school district, shared with Hackberry, Lakewood Village, Oak Point, The Colony. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $11,953 per pupil, $6,559 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.
Denton Independent School District · $11,854 per pupil
Frisco Independent School District · $10,604 per pupil
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Little Elm’s votes are counted by county
Texas reports official results by county and precinct, not by town, so there are no official results for Little Elm alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Denton County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican55.8%250,521 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat42.6%191,503 votesOthers: 1.6% (7,164 votes).
Most votes in Denton County: Donald J Trump
Texas: Trump 56.1%, Harris 42.5%
100% of Little Elm lies in Denton County. Every 2024 race in Denton County is on the county’s page.
Denton 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 Little Elm.
- 1Your townTown governmentOfficials: littleelm.org ↗
- 2Texas HouseLittle Elm 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 Little Elm compares with the towns next door
Little Elm spent $937 per resident in 2022; the 3 neighbors that reported 2022 spent $44 to $1,694. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Lakewood Village | $44 | $7,452 |
| Aubrey | $1,572 | $6,446 |
| Prosper | $1,694 | $10,000+ |
| The Colony | estimate | $6,551 |
| Providence Village | estimate | $6,089 |
| Frisco | estimate | $9,572 |
| Oak Point | estimate | $6,815 |
| Little Elm | $937 | $7,420 |
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 Little Elm’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Little Elm’s government
How much does Little Elm spend per resident?
About $1,082 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 $937 was less than 88% of 17 Texas cities of 50,000–99,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Little Elm?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $7,420 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.76% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.49% across Texas. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see littleelm.org.
Who runs Little Elm’s government?
See littleelm.org for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Little Elm yet.
How did Little Elm vote in 2024?
Texas counts votes by county and precinct, not by town, so there are no official results for Little Elm alone. Denton County, where 100% of Little Elm lies, voted Trump 55.8%, Harris 42.6% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Little Elm?
285 full-time and 105 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $2.0M (about $23.5M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Little Elm in the state legislature?
Little Elm is split among 2 State House districts and 2 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 Little Elm’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 →