Photo: Nsaum75 · CC BY-SA 3.0Santa Fe spent less per resident in 2022 than 91% of similar cities
Santa Fe’s city government spent $7.8 million on day-to-day services in the year to September 30, 2024, about $611 per resident.
What stands out about how Santa Fe is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$507 per resident in 2022: less than 91% of them
Santa Fe’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($507 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 68 Texas cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $986, and the middle half spent $731–$1,301. Santa Fe spent less than 91% of them.
Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →
Texas cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Santa Fe itself left out).
About $611 per resident a year, or $1.67 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: administration & buildings, at 46%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is up 15% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Santa Fe 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: $507 · 2024: $611. Per resident it went from $507 to $611 (up 21%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 13,461 to 12,843.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $4,576 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.40% 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 Santa Fe’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 Santa Fe’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Santa Fe →
Who’s in charge in Santa Fe
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Santa Fe’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on ci.santa-fe.tx.us ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 211 residents
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (12,843).
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.
Santa Fe Independent School District
Santa Fe’s K–12 school district. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $12,404 per pupil, $6,552 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.
Santa Fe’s votes are counted by county
Texas reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Santa Fe alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Galveston County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican63.1%100,295 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat35.7%56,732 votesOthers: 1.2% (1,969 votes).
Most votes in Galveston County: Donald J Trump
Texas: Trump 56.1%, Harris 42.5%
100% of Santa Fe lies in Galveston County. Every 2024 race in Galveston County is on the county’s page.
Galveston 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 Santa Fe.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: ci.santa-fe.tx.us ↗
- 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 Santa Fe compares with the towns next door
Santa Fe spent $507 per resident in 2022. Towns that run more services spend more. 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 Santa Fe’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Santa Fe’s government
How much does Santa Fe spend per resident?
About $611 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 $507 was less than 91% of 68 Texas cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Santa Fe?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $4,576 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.40% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.49% across Texas. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see ci.santa-fe.tx.us.
Who runs Santa Fe’s government?
See ci.santa-fe.tx.us for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Santa Fe yet.
How did Santa Fe vote in 2024?
Texas counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Santa Fe alone. Galveston County, where 100% of Santa Fe lies, voted Trump 63.1%, Harris 35.7% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Santa Fe?
61 full-time and 4 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $422,244 (about $5.1M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Santa Fe in the state legislature?
State Senate District 11 (Mayes Middleton) and State House District 24 (Greg Bonnen). The House district also covers 10 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Santa Fe’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 →