Pine Forest spent less per resident in 2022 than 66% of similar cities
Pine Forest’s city government spent $140,000 on day-to-day services in the year to September 30, 2022, about $271 per resident.
What stands out about how Pine Forest is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$271 per resident in 2022: less than 66% of them
Pine Forest’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($271 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 $433, and the middle half spent $184–$752. Pine Forest spent less than 66% of 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; Pine Forest itself left out).
About $271 per resident a year, or $0.74 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: administration & buildings, at 84%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
No trend yet
Pine Forest reported only 2022 to the Census Bureau, so there is no trend yet.
The typical homeowner pays $1,279 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.82% 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 Pine Forest’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 Pine Forest’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Pine Forest →
Who’s in charge in Pine Forest
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time city employee for every 516 residents
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2022 finance file (516).
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.
Vidor Independent School District
Pine Forest’s K–12 school district, shared with Rose City, Vidor. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $11,256 per pupil, $6,507 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.
Pine Forest’s votes are counted by county
Texas reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Pine Forest alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Orange County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican83.0%30,191 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat16.3%5,945 votesOthers: 0.7% (241 votes).
Most votes in Orange County: Donald J Trump
Texas: Trump 56.1%, Harris 42.5%
100% of Pine Forest lies in Orange County. Every 2024 race in Orange County is on the county’s page.
Orange 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 Pine Forest.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilLocal 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 Pine Forest’s government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about Pine Forest’s government
How much does Pine Forest spend per resident?
About $271 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 $271 was less than 66% of 346 Texas cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Pine Forest?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,279 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.82% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.49% across Texas. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see the city’s assessor.
Who runs Pine Forest’s government?
We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Pine Forest yet.
How did Pine Forest vote in 2024?
Texas counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Pine Forest alone. Orange County, where 100% of Pine Forest lies, voted Trump 83.0%, Harris 16.3% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Pine Forest?
1 full-time and 8 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $9,253 (about $111,036 a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Pine Forest in the state legislature?
State Senate District 3 (Robert Nichols) and State House District 21 (Dade Phelan). The House district also covers 16 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Pine Forest’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 →