Photo: Mathieu Lebreton from Paris, France · CC BY 2.0How is Marfa run?
Marfa’s city government spent $3.3 million on day-to-day services in the year to September 30, 2022, about $2,066 per resident. These are Census Bureau estimates: Marfa didn’t report its figures, so this page shows them without comparisons.
What stands out about how Marfa is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
About $2,066 per resident a year, or $5.66 a day
Day-to-day services only (a Census Bureau estimate). The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 25%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Marfa didn’t report all of its 2022 figures to the Census Bureau, so most of these numbers are the Bureau’s estimates.
No comparison or trend for Marfa yet
Every year of Marfa’s figures is a Census Bureau estimate: the city reported none of its dollars for 2022. Estimates are shown above, labeled, but never ranked against places that reported or drawn as a trend.
How Town Hall compares budgets →The typical homeowner pays $1,863 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.74% 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 Marfa’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. In a town this small the estimate has a wide margin.
Tax bills are one input to Marfa’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Marfa →
Who’s in charge in Marfa
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Marfa’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on cityofmarfa.com ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 80 residents
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll (a Census estimate). Residents: the Census population in the 2022 finance file (1,591).
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.
Marfa Independent School District
Marfa’s K–12 school district. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $20,309 per pupil, $10,435 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.
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Marfa’s votes are counted by county
Texas reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Marfa alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Presidio County’s results.
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat64.7%1,288 votes
Donald J TrumpRepublican34.4%686 votesOthers: 0.9% (18 votes).
Most votes in Presidio County: Kamala D Harris
Texas: Trump 56.1%, Harris 42.5%
100% of Marfa lies in Presidio County. Every 2024 race in Presidio County is on the county’s page.
Presidio 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 Marfa.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: cityofmarfa.com ↗
- 2Texas HouseState representatives
- 3Texas SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in CongressTexas’s 23rd District
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Texas
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
Reach Marfa’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Marfa’s government
How much does Marfa spend per resident?
About $2,066 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to September 30, 2022, a Census Bureau estimate (Marfa didn’t report its figures). With building projects and interest, the whole budget was about $5.6 million.
What is the property tax rate in Marfa?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,863 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.74% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.49% across Texas. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see cityofmarfa.com.
Who runs Marfa’s government?
See cityofmarfa.com for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Marfa yet.
How did Marfa vote in 2024?
Texas counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Marfa alone. Presidio County, where 100% of Marfa lies, voted Harris 64.7%, Trump 34.4% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Marfa?
20 full-time and 23 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $117,415 (about $1.4M a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.
Who represents Marfa in the state legislature?
State Senate District 29 (César Blanco) and State House District 74 (Eddie Morales). The House district also covers 12 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Marfa’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 (for Marfa, the Bureau’s estimates); 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 →