Photo: Ntsimp · Public domainCharleston spent more per resident in 2022 than 73% of similar cities
Charleston’s town government spent $292,000 on day-to-day services in the year to July 31, 2024, about $694 per resident.
What stands out about how Charleston is run
Read from the town’s budget and official records.
$935 per resident in 2022: more than 73% of them
Charleston’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($935 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 139 Utah cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $534, and the middle half spent $326–$952. Charleston spent more than 73% of them.
Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →
Utah cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Charleston itself left out).
About $694 per resident a year, or $1.90 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: administration & buildings, at 41%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is down 37% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Charleston 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: $935 · 2024: $694. Per resident it went from $935 to $694 (down 26%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 496 to 421.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $3,870 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.54% 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 Charleston’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. In a town this small the estimate has a wide margin.
Tax bills are one input to Charleston’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Charleston →
Who’s in charge in Charleston
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time town employee for every 421 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 (421).
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.
Wasatch School District
Charleston’s K–12 school district, shared with Daniel, Heber, Independence, Interlaken, Midway and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $12,879 per pupil, $9,400 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.
Charleston’s votes are counted by county
Utah reports official results by county and precinct, not by town, so there are no official results for Charleston alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Wasatch County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican62.6%11,493 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat35.2%6,456 votesOthers: 2.2% (399 votes).
Most votes in Wasatch County: Donald J Trump
Utah: Trump 59.4%, Harris 37.8%
100% of Charleston lies in Wasatch County. Every 2024 race in Wasatch County is on the county’s page.
Wasatch 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 Charleston.
- 1Your townTown governmentLocal officials aren’t on record yet.
- 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 Charleston compares with the towns next door
Charleston spent $935 per resident in 2022; the neighbor that reported 2022 spent $254. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Daniel | $254 | $3,462 |
| Charleston | $935 | $3,870 |
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 Charleston’s government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about Charleston’s government
How much does Charleston spend per resident?
About $694 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to July 31, 2024, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $935 was more than 73% of 139 Utah cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Charleston?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $3,870 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.54% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.52% across Utah. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see the town’s assessor.
Who runs Charleston’s government?
We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Charleston yet.
How did Charleston vote in 2024?
Utah counts votes by county and precinct, not by town, so there are no official results for Charleston alone. Wasatch County, where 100% of Charleston lies, voted Trump 62.6%, Harris 35.2% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Charleston?
1 full-time and 3 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $7,388 (about $88,656 a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Charleston in the state legislature?
State Senate District 26 (David Hinkins) and State House District 59 (Mike Kohler). The House district also covers eight other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Charleston’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 →