Photo: Jouaienttoi · CC BY-SA 4.0San Antonio spent more per resident in 2022 than 89% of similar cities
San Antonio’s city government spent $2.5 billion on day-to-day services in the year to September 30, 2024, about $1,689 per resident. Water and other utilities ($2.3 billion) and the airport ($86.2 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how San Antonio is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$1,431 per resident in 2022: more than 89% of them
San Antonio’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,431 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 665 Texas cities that don’t run their own schools: the median was $720, and the middle half spent $350–$1,101. San Antonio spent more than 89% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($266.1 million), 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 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; San Antonio itself left out).
About $1,689 per resident a year, or $4.63 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 21%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is up 11% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years San Antonio reported to the Census Bureau. Prices rose too: about 4% a year in 2022–2024.
Day-to-day spending by fiscal year
Per resident: 2022: $1,431 · 2023: $1,661 · 2024: $1,689. Per resident it went from $1,431 to $1,689 (up 18%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 1,567,118 to 1,472,909.
full-time in March 2025, up from 16,105 in 2022.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $4,122 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.75% 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 San Antonio’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 San Antonio’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in San Antonio →
Who’s in charge in San Antonio
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time city employee for every 81 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 (1,472,909).
By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2025
The Census reports one month’s payroll (March); yearly figures are that month × 12, an estimate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.
Northside Independent School District
San Antonio’s K–12 school district, shared with Grey Forest, Helotes, Leon Valley, Shavano Park. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $12,126 per pupil, $7,641 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.
North East Independent School District · $13,459 per pupil
San Antonio Independent School District · $15,140 per pupil
Southwest Independent School District · $13,629 per pupil
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
San Antonio’s votes are counted by county
Texas reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for San Antonio alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Bexar County’s results.
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat54.1%411,389 votes
Donald J TrumpRepublican44.4%337,545 votesOthers: 1.5% (11,089 votes).
Most votes in Bexar County: Kamala D Harris
Texas: Trump 56.1%, Harris 42.5%
100% of San Antonio lies in Bexar County; the rest in Comal County, Medina County. Every 2024 race in Bexar County is on the county’s page.
Bexar 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
San Antonio sends 10 representatives to the Texas House alone.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: sa.gov ↗
- 2Texas HouseSan Antonio is split between 10 districts
- 3Texas SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseSplit between districts
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Texas
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
How San Antonio compares with the towns next door
No neighbor is close in size, so the comparison above uses Texas cities that don’t run their own schools. Tap a town to see its page.
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 San Antonio’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about San Antonio’s government
How much does San Antonio spend per resident?
About $1,689 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to September 30, 2024, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $1,431 was more than 89% of 665 Texas cities that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in San Antonio?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $4,122 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.75% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.49% across Texas. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see sa.gov.
Who runs San Antonio’s government?
See sa.gov for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for San Antonio yet.
How did San Antonio vote in 2024?
Texas counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for San Antonio alone. Bexar County, where 100% of San Antonio lies, voted Harris 54.1%, Trump 44.4% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for San Antonio?
18,213 full-time and 553 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $139.2M (about $1.7B a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents San Antonio in the state legislature?
San Antonio is split among 10 State House districts and 3 State Senate districts, so your address decides. The Texas Legislature’s lookup finds yours. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about San Antonio’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 →