Photo: lfwlfw / Bevo at English Wikipedia · Public domainHow is Port Isabel run?
Port Isabel’s city government spent $5.5 million on day-to-day services in the year to September 30, 2022, about $881 per resident. These are Census Bureau estimates: Port Isabel didn’t report its figures, so this page shows them without comparisons.
What stands out about how Port Isabel is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
Point Isabel Independent School District
Port Isabel’s K–12 school district, shared with Laguna Vista, South Padre Island. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $17,449 per pupil, $8,725 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.
About $881 per resident a year, or $2.41 a day
Day-to-day services only (a Census Bureau estimate). The biggest line: police, at 37%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Port Isabel 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 Port Isabel yet
Every year of Port Isabel’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 $2,833 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.55% 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 Port Isabel’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 Port Isabel’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Port Isabel →
Who’s in charge in Port Isabel
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Port Isabel’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on portisabel-texas.com ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 55 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 (6,226).
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.
Port Isabel’s votes are counted by county
Texas reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Port Isabel alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Cameron County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican52.4%60,991 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat46.6%54,258 votesOthers: 0.9% (1,060 votes).
Most votes in Cameron County: Donald J Trump
Texas: Trump 56.1%, Harris 42.5%
100% of Port Isabel lies in Cameron County. Every 2024 race in Cameron County is on the county’s page.
Cameron 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 Port Isabel.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: portisabel-texas.com ↗
- 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.
How Port Isabel compares with the towns next door
Port Isabel’s own figures are Census estimates, so it isn’t placed among its neighbors. 1 of the 1 towns next door reported 2022 figures, from $854 per resident. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Brownsville | $854 | $2,349 |
| Port Isabel | estimate | $2,833 |
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 Port Isabel’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Port Isabel’s government
How much does Port Isabel spend per resident?
About $881 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to September 30, 2022, a Census Bureau estimate (Port Isabel didn’t report its figures). With building projects and interest, the whole budget was about $5.8 million.
What is the property tax rate in Port Isabel?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $2,833 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.55% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.49% across Texas. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see portisabel-texas.com.
Who runs Port Isabel’s government?
See portisabel-texas.com for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Port Isabel yet.
How did Port Isabel vote in 2024?
Texas counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Port Isabel alone. Cameron County, where 100% of Port Isabel lies, voted Trump 52.4%, Harris 46.6% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Port Isabel?
114 full-time and 100 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $671,026 (about $8.1M a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.
Who represents Port Isabel in the state legislature?
State Senate District 27 (Adam Hinojosa) and State House District 37 (Janie Lopez). The House district also covers 17 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Port Isabel’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 Port Isabel, 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 →