Photo: No machine-readable author provided. Chriswardster assumed (based on copyright claims). · Public domainSouthlake spent more per resident in 2022 than 97% of similar cities
Southlake’s city government spent $71.3 million on day-to-day services in the year to September 30, 2024, about $2,294 per resident. Water and other utilities ($17.6 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Southlake is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$1,659 per resident in 2022: more than 97% of them
Southlake’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,659 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 30 Texas cities of 25,000–49,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,046, and the middle half spent $858–$1,225. Southlake spent more than 97% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($7.5 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 of 25,000–49,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Southlake itself left out).
About $2,294 per resident a year, or $6.28 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: parks & libraries, at 21%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is up 33% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Southlake 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: $1,659 · 2024: $2,294. Per resident it went from $1,659 to $2,294 (up 38%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 32,280 to 31,102.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
Typical bills top $10,000 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Southlake’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 Southlake’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Southlake →
Who’s in charge in Southlake
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Southlake’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on cityofsouthlake.com ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 77 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 (31,102).
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.
Carroll Independent School District
Southlake’s K–12 school district. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $11,551 per pupil, $6,995 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.
Northwest Independent School District · $10,825 per pupil
Keller Independent School District · $11,042 per pupil
Grapevine-Colleyville Independent School District · $11,404 per pupil
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Southlake’s votes are counted by county
Texas reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Southlake alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Tarrant County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican51.8%426,626 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat46.7%384,501 votesOthers: 1.5% (12,185 votes).
Most votes in Tarrant County: Donald J Trump
Texas: Trump 56.1%, Harris 42.5%
98% of Southlake lies in Tarrant County; the rest in Denton County. Every 2024 race in Tarrant County is on the county’s page.
Tarrant 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 Southlake.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: cityofsouthlake.com ↗
- 2Texas HouseSouthlake is split between 2 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 Southlake compares with the towns next door
Southlake spent $1,659 per resident in 2022; the 4 neighbors that reported 2022 spent $852 to $12,804. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Keller | $852 | $9,614 |
| Trophy Club | $1,305 | $10,000+ |
| Grapevine | $2,133 | $7,274 |
| Westlake | $12,804 runs schools | $10,000+ |
| Colleyville | estimate | $10,000+ |
| Southlake | $1,659 | $10,000+ |
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 Southlake’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Southlake’s government
How much does Southlake spend per resident?
About $2,294 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 $1,659 was more than 97% of 30 Texas cities of 25,000–49,999 that don’t run their own schools.
Who runs Southlake’s government?
See cityofsouthlake.com for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Southlake yet.
How did Southlake vote in 2024?
Texas counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Southlake alone. Tarrant County, where 98% of Southlake lies, voted Trump 51.8%, Harris 46.7% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Southlake?
404 full-time and 211 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $2.3M (about $28.1M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Southlake in the state legislature?
Southlake is split among 2 State House districts and 2 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 Southlake’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 →