Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to McAllen

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in
Skyline of McAllenPhoto: Theunderratedtaco · CC BY-SA 4.0
Town Hall · McAllen

How is McAllen run?

McAllen’s city government spent $218 million on day-to-day services in the year to September 30, 2024, about $1,508 per resident. These are Census Bureau estimates: McAllen didn’t report its figures, so this page shows them without comparisons.

Town website
Election Day

Today

General election in Texas.

Register or check: vote.gov ↗
Day-to-day spending, 2024
$218.0M
year to September 30, 2024 · Census estimate
Per resident, 2024
$1,508
Census estimate · not compared
Long-term debt
$6,000
end of FY2024 · Census estimate
City staff, 2025
1,902
full-time · 211 part-time · March payroll $9.5M
Typical tax bill
$3,287
1.73% of home value · TX 1.49%

What stands out about how McAllen is run

Read from the city’s budget, meetings and official records.

Agendas posted online6 upcoming meetings posted, with agendas.Runs its own water & sewer24% of day-to-day spending goes to water, sewer and trash (a Census estimate).Split between districts4 State House and 2 U.S. House districts cover McAllen; your street decides yours.Its own police and fire279 sworn officers and 182 full-time firefighters on the payroll.
★ What stands out · Meetings

6 upcoming meetings at town hall

From McAllen’s own agenda portal, checked daily. Agendas can change up to the meeting, so check before you go.

Recent meetings

Go in person

Most meetings are open to the public, and many have a public comment period at the start.

Agenda portal ↗
Your share of the 2024 budget

About $1,508 per resident a year, or $4.13 a day

Day-to-day services only (a Census Bureau estimate). The biggest line: police, at 23%.

Where the money comes from
Sales taxes 30%Fees & charges 27%Property taxes 17%Interest, fines & other 11%Utility sales 8%From the federal government 5%Other taxes & licenses 1%From the state 1%From other local governments <1%
An estimate

McAllen didn’t report all of its 2024 figures to the Census Bureau, so most of these numbers are the Bureau’s estimates.

Not in the receipt.Building projects $63.1 million; interest on debt $7.6 million; payments to other governments $4.3 million. With these and the enterprises, the whole budget was $332.8 million.
Compared with similar places · Over the years

No comparison or trend for McAllen yet

Every year of McAllen’s figures is a Census Bureau estimate: the city reported none of its dollars for 2022–2024. Estimates are shown above, labeled, but never ranked against places that reported or drawn as a trend.

How Town Hall compares budgets →
City staff
1,902

full-time in March 2025, up from 1,772 in 2022.

Property tax

The typical homeowner pays $3,287 a year

Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.73% of the home’s value, vs 1.49% across Texas.

What homes cost →

Typical yearly bill next door and statewide

Texas$4,232
Edinburg$3,601
McAllen$3,287
Hidalgo$3,264
Mission$3,151
Pharr$2,537
Alton$2,245
$3,287
typical bill a year
1.73%
effective rate
$190,400
typical home value (Census)
Your own bill

The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at McAllen’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 McAllen’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in McAllen →

Who runs it

Who’s in charge in McAllen

Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.

See mcallen.net for McAllen’s current officialsWe name an official only when a public source lists a current term. None does for McAllen yet.mcallen.net ↗
Who works for McAllen

One full-time city employee for every 76 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 (144,579).

By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2025

Police429
Parks & libraries284 + 178 pt
Sewer & trash240 + 2 pt
Roads & transportation223 + 14 pt
Fire202
Administration & buildings168 + 11 pt
Water & other utilities139 + 5 pt
Health & welfare46
Courts, inspections & corrections35
Housing & development5
Other131 + 1 pt
1,902
full-time
211
part-time
$9.5M
payroll for March 2025
$114.3M
a year, estimated (March × 12)
$58,800
average full-time pay, before benefits (March × 12)
279
sworn police officers
182
full-time firefighters
Not compared.Staff are compared with the same group as the budget, and McAllen’s 2022 budget was a Census estimate, so there is no group to compare with.

The Census reports one month’s payroll (March); yearly figures are that month × 12, an estimate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.

The school district

McAllen Independent School District

McAllen’s K–12 school district. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.

Schools in McAllen →
$13,936
per pupil · TX $12,815
20,095
students
$71.9 million
long-term debt

Of the $13,936 per pupil, $8,028 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.

The district: schools, scores and graduation →

Where the district’s money comes from
Local 33%State 46%Federal 22%

Texas districts overall: 51% local, 36% state, 13% federal.

Also serving McAllen

Edinburg Consolidated Independent School District · $12,925 per pupil

Sharyland Independent School District · $11,833 per pupil

Hidalgo Independent School District · $14,842 per pupil

School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.

Elections · 2024 general election

McAllen’s votes are counted by county

Texas reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for McAllen alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Hidalgo County’s results.

President · Hidalgo County’s results217,265 votes · results as certified
Donald J TrumpDonald J TrumpRepublican51.0%110,760 votes
Kamala D HarrisKamala D HarrisDemocrat48.1%104,517 votes

Others: 0.9% (1,988 votes).

Most votes in Hidalgo County: Donald J Trump

Texas: Trump 56.1%, Harris 42.5%

The county’s page

100% of McAllen lies in Hidalgo County. Every 2024 race in Hidalgo County is on the county’s page.

Hidalgo County’s 2024 results →
DemocratRepublicanLibertarianIndependent / other

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.

Who represents McAllen

From town hall to Washington

McAllen sends 4 representatives to the Texas House alone.

2024 results ↑
  1. 1
    Your cityMayor & council
    Officials: mcallen.net ↗
  2. 2
    Texas HouseMcAllen is split between 4 districts
    Bobby GuerraSergio MuñozTerry CanalesOscar Longoria
  3. 3
    Texas SenateState senator
    Chuy Hinojosa
  4. 4
    GovernorStatewide
    Greg Abbott
  5. 5
    U.S. HouseSplit between districts
    Monica De La CruzVicente Gonzalez
  6. 6
    U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Texas
    John CornynTed Cruz
Find your state legislators by address ↗Find your House district by ZIP code ↗

Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.

Next door

How McAllen compares with the towns next door

McAllen’s own figures are Census estimates, so it isn’t placed among its neighbors. 2 of the 6 towns next door reported 2022 figures, from $69 to $485 per resident. Tap a town to see its page.

Edinburg: no reported 2022 figuresPharr: no reported 2022 figuresMission: no reported 2022 figuresGranjeno: $69 per resident (2022)Hidalgo: no reported 2022 figuresAlton: $485 per resident (2022)EdinburgPharrMissionGranjenoHidalgoAltonMcAllen
Spends the leastSpends the mostEstimate or no figures
TownDay-to-day, per resident (2022)Tax bill
Granjeno$69—
Alton$485$2,245
Edinburgestimate$3,601
Pharrestimate$2,537
Missionestimate$3,151
Hidalgoestimate$3,264
McAllenestimate$3,287

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 McAllen’s government

The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.

The Handbook →
Official websitemcallen.net ↗

Questions about McAllen’s government

How much does McAllen spend per resident?

About $1,508 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to September 30, 2024, a Census Bureau estimate (McAllen didn’t report its figures). With building projects and interest, the whole budget was about $332.8 million.

What is the property tax rate in McAllen?

Homeowners report a typical bill of $3,287 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.73% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.49% across Texas. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see mcallen.net.

Who runs McAllen’s government?

See mcallen.net for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for McAllen yet.

How did McAllen vote in 2024?

Texas counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for McAllen alone. Hidalgo County, where 100% of McAllen lies, voted Trump 51.0%, Harris 48.1% for president; its page has every race.

How many people work for McAllen?

1,902 full-time and 211 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $9.5M (about $114.3M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.

Who represents McAllen in the state legislature?

McAllen is split among 4 State House districts, so your address decides. The Texas Legislature’s lookup finds yours. Its State Senate district is District 20 (Chuy Hinojosa). Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.

When is the next public meeting in McAllen?

The next posted meeting is City Commission on Monday, November 9, at 4:15 pm, from the city’s own agenda portal.

Ask neighbors about McAllen’s government

Neighbors who’ve been to the meetings can help.

Town Square →
Ask neighbors

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 McAllen, 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 →