Oak Ridge spent more per resident in 2022 than 90% of similar cities
Oak Ridge’s town government spent $281,000 on day-to-day services in the year to September 30, 2022, about $1,102 per resident. Water and other utilities ($42,000) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Oak Ridge is run
Read from the town’s budget and official records.
$1,102 per resident in 2022: more than 90% of them
Oak Ridge’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,102 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 346 Texas cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $428, and the middle half spent $184–$750. Oak Ridge spent more than 90% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($38,000), 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 under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Oak Ridge itself left out).
About $1,102 per resident a year, or $3.02 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: administration & buildings, at 33%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
No trend yet
Oak Ridge reported only 2022 to the Census Bureau, so there is no trend yet.
The typical homeowner pays $283 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 Oak Ridge’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 Oak Ridge’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Oak Ridge →
Who’s in charge in Oak Ridge
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time town employee for every 64 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 (255).
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.
Callisburg Independent School District
Oak Ridge’s K–12 school district, shared with Callisburg. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $11,988 per pupil, $6,916 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.
Oak Ridge’s votes are counted by county
Texas reports official results by county and precinct, not by town, so there are no official results for Oak Ridge alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Cooke County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican83.0%16,975 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat16.2%3,310 votesOthers: 0.8% (162 votes).
Most votes in Cooke County: Donald J Trump
Texas: Trump 56.1%, Harris 42.5%
100% of Oak Ridge lies in Cooke County. Every 2024 race in Cooke County is on the county’s page.
Cooke 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 Oak Ridge.
- 1Your townTown governmentLocal officials aren’t on record yet.
- 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.
Reach Oak Ridge’s government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about Oak Ridge’s government
How much does Oak Ridge spend per resident?
About $1,102 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 $1,102 was more than 90% of 346 Texas cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
Who runs Oak Ridge’s government?
We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Oak Ridge yet.
How did Oak Ridge vote in 2024?
Texas counts votes by county and precinct, not by town, so there are no official results for Oak Ridge alone. Cooke County, where 100% of Oak Ridge lies, voted Trump 83.0%, Harris 16.2% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Oak Ridge?
4 full-time and 1 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $14,898 (about $178,776 a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.
Who represents Oak Ridge in the state legislature?
State Senate District 30 (Brent Hagenbuch) and State House District 68 (David Spiller). The House district also covers 40 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Oak Ridge’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 →