Cedar City Railroad Depot · Photo: JunesongPRVSN · CC BY-SA 4.0Cedar City spent less per resident in 2022 than 65% of similar cities
Cedar City’s city government spent $29.3 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2023, about $787 per resident. That is its newest year reported to the Census Bureau. Water and other utilities ($3.2 million) and the airport ($795,000) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Cedar City is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
Who’s in charge in Cedar City
From public records with a current term; a name is hidden the day its term ends.
Council members and agencies: cedarcity.org ↗
Cedar City’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on cedarcity.org ↗.
About $787 per resident a year, or $2.16 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: parks & libraries, at 21%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$723 per resident in 2022: less than 65% of them
Cedar City’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($723 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 23 Utah cities of 25,000–49,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $860, and the middle half spent $603–$1,434. Cedar City spent less than 65% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($3 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 →
Utah cities of 25,000–49,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Cedar City itself left out).
Day-to-day spending is up 12% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Cedar City 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: $723 · 2023: $787.
full-time in March 2025, up from 174 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 $1,570 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.42% of the home’s value, vs 0.52% across Utah.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Cedar City’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 Cedar City’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Cedar City →
One full-time city employee for every 194 residents
On the payroll in March 2025, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2023 finance file (37,206).
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.
Iron School District
Cedar City’s K–12 school district, shared with Brian Head, Enoch, Kanarraville, Paragonah, Parowan. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $8,969 per pupil, $5,854 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.
Utah districts overall: 42% local, 51% state, 8% federal.
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Cedar City’s votes are counted by county
Utah reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Cedar City alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Iron County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican77.4%21,571 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat20.4%5,683 votesOthers: 2.2% (624 votes).
Most votes in Iron County: Donald J Trump
Utah: Trump 59.4%, Harris 37.8%
100% of Cedar City lies in Iron County. Every 2024 race in Iron County is on the county’s page.
Iron 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 Cedar City.
- 1Your cityMayorSteve Nelsonas listed by Open States, October 9, 2026
- 2Utah HouseState representatives
- 3Utah SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Utah
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
How Cedar City compares with the towns next door
Cedar City spent $723 per resident in 2022; the neighbor that reported 2022 spent $402. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Enoch | $402 | $1,494 |
| Cedar City | $723 | $1,570 |
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 Cedar City’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Cedar City’s government
How much does Cedar City spend per resident?
About $787 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2023, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $723 was less than 65% of 23 Utah cities of 25,000–49,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Cedar City?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,570 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.42% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.52% across Utah. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see cedarcity.org.
Who is the mayor of Cedar City?
Steve Nelson, as listed by Open States (checked October 9, 2026). The council and agencies are listed on cedarcity.org.
How did Cedar City vote in 2024?
Utah counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Cedar City alone. Iron County, where 100% of Cedar City lies, voted Trump 77.4%, Harris 20.4% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Cedar City?
192 full-time and 179 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $1.4M (about $16.7M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Cedar City in the state legislature?
State Senate District 28 (Evan Vickers) and State House District 71 (Rex Shipp). The House district also covers four other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Cedar City’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 →