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Odessa, TexasPhoto: Vasiliymeshko · CC BY 4.0
Town Hall · Odessa

How is Odessa run?

Odessa’s city government spent $161.3 million on day-to-day services in the year to September 30, 2024, about $1,429 per resident. These are Census Bureau estimates: Odessa didn’t report its figures, so this page shows them without comparisons.

Town website
Next public meeting

City Council

3:00 pm · 411 W 8th St, Odessa City Hall

All meetings →
Day-to-day spending, 2024
$161.3M
year to September 30, 2024 · Census estimate
Per resident, 2024
$1,429
Census estimate · not compared
Long-term debt
$145.1M
end of FY2024 · Census estimate
City staff, 2025
887
full-time · 14 part-time · March payroll $6.3M
Typical tax bill
$3,093
1.39% of home value · TX 1.49%

What stands out about how Odessa is run

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

Agendas posted online6 upcoming meetings posted, with agendas.Runs its own water & sewer35% of day-to-day spending goes to water, sewer and trash (a Census estimate).A shared school districtShares Ector County Independent School District with 1 other town.Split between districts2 State House districts cover Odessa; your street decides yours.
★ What stands out · Meetings

6 upcoming meetings at town hall

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

Recent meetings

  • Oct27
    City CouncilTuesday · 6:00 pm · 411 W 8th St, Odessa City HallOdessa City Council MeetingMeeting page ↗
  • Oct27
    City CouncilTuesday · 3:00 pm · 411 W 8th St, Odessa City HallOdessa City Council Work SessionMeeting page ↗
  • Oct13
    City CouncilTuesday · 6:00 pm · 411 W 8th St, Odessa City HallOdessa City Council MeetingMeeting page ↗
  • Oct13
    City CouncilTuesday · 3:00 pm · 411 W 8th St, Odessa City HallOdessa City Council Work SessionMeeting page ↗
  • Oct8
    GeneralThursday · 3:00 pm · 411 W. 8th Street, Odessa City HallOdessa Development Corporation MeetingMeeting page ↗
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 $1,429 per resident a year, or $3.92 a day

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

Where the money comes from
Sales taxes 34%Utility sales 23%Property taxes 18%Fees & charges 18%Interest, fines & other 5%Other taxes & licenses 1%From the state 1%From the federal government 1%From other local governments <1%
An estimate

Odessa 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 $7.6 million; interest on debt $4.3 million. With these and the enterprises, the whole budget was $207.2 million.
Compared with similar places · Over the years

No comparison or trend for Odessa yet

Every year of Odessa’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
887

full-time in March 2025, down from 913 in 2022.

Property tax

The typical homeowner pays $3,093 a year

Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.39% of the home’s value, vs 1.49% across Texas.

What homes cost →

Typical yearly bill next door and statewide

Texas$4,232
Odessa$3,093
West Odessa$1,334
$3,093
typical bill a year
1.39%
effective rate
$223,100
typical home value (Census)
Your own bill

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

Who runs it

Who’s in charge in Odessa

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

See odessa-tx.gov for Odessa’s current officialsWe name an official only when a public source lists a current term. None does for Odessa yet.odessa-tx.gov ↗
Who works for Odessa

One full-time city employee for every 127 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 (112,906).

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

Fire220
Police163 + 1 pt
Administration & buildings104 + 3 pt
Water & other utilities77
Roads & transportation72
Sewer & trash59
Parks & libraries48 + 7 pt
Courts, inspections & corrections32
Health & welfare15 + 2 pt
Housing & development5
Other92 + 1 pt
887
full-time
14
part-time
$6.3M
payroll for March 2025
$75.7M
a year, estimated (March × 12)
$85,200
average full-time pay, before benefits (March × 12)
120
sworn police officers
208
full-time firefighters
Not compared.Staff are compared with the same group as the budget, and Odessa’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

Ector County Independent School District

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

Schools in Odessa →
$10,921
per pupil · TX $12,815
33,426
students
$372.8 million
long-term debt

Of the $10,921 per pupil, $6,327 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 43%State 41%Federal 16%

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

Also serving Odessa

Midland Independent School District · $12,465 per pupil

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

Elections · 2024 general election

Odessa’s votes are counted by county

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

President · Ector County’s results42,748 votes · results as certified
Donald J TrumpDonald J TrumpRepublican75.9%32,467 votes
Kamala D HarrisKamala D HarrisDemocrat23.2%9,900 votes

Others: 0.9% (381 votes).

Most votes in Ector County: Donald J Trump

Texas: Trump 56.1%, Harris 42.5%

The county’s page

96% of Odessa lies in Ector County; the rest in Midland County. Every 2024 race in Ector County is on the county’s page.

Ector 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 Odessa

From town hall to Washington

Every level of government that speaks for Odessa.

2024 results ↑
  1. 1
    Your cityMayor & council
    Officials: odessa-tx.gov ↗
  2. 2
    Texas HouseOdessa is split between 2 districts
    Brooks LandgrafTom Craddick
  3. 3
    Texas SenateState senator
    Kevin Sparks
  4. 4
    GovernorStatewide
    Greg Abbott
  5. 5
    U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
    August Pfluger
  6. 6
    U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Texas
    John CornynTed Cruz
Find your state legislators by address ↗

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

Next door

How Odessa compares with the towns next door

Odessa’s own figures are Census estimates, so it isn’t placed among its neighbors. 0 of the 0 towns next door reported 2022 figures. Tap a town to see its page.

West Odessa: unincorporated, no town budgetWest OdessaOdessa
Spends the leastSpends the mostEstimate or no figures
TownDay-to-day, per resident (2022)Tax bill
Odessaestimate$3,093

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 Odessa’s government

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

The Handbook →
Official websiteodessa-tx.gov ↗

Questions about Odessa’s government

How much does Odessa spend per resident?

About $1,429 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to September 30, 2024, a Census Bureau estimate (Odessa didn’t report its figures). With building projects and interest, the whole budget was about $207.2 million.

What is the property tax rate in Odessa?

Homeowners report a typical bill of $3,093 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.39% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.49% across Texas. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see odessa-tx.gov.

Who runs Odessa’s government?

See odessa-tx.gov for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Odessa yet.

How did Odessa vote in 2024?

Texas counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Odessa alone. Ector County, where 96% of Odessa lies, voted Trump 75.9%, Harris 23.2% for president; its page has every race.

How many people work for Odessa?

887 full-time and 14 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $6.3M (about $75.7M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.

Who represents Odessa in the state legislature?

Odessa is split among 2 State House districts, so your address decides. The Texas Legislature’s lookup finds yours. Its State Senate district is District 31 (Kevin Sparks). Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.

When is the next public meeting in Odessa?

The next posted meeting is City Council on Tuesday, November 10, at 3:00 pm in 411 W 8th St, Odessa City Hall, from the city’s own agenda portal.

Ask neighbors about Odessa’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 Odessa, 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 →