Photo: User:JerAnderson · Public domainCottonwood Heights spent less per resident in 2022 than 83% of similar cities
Cottonwood Heights’ city government spent $16.9 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2023, about $516 per resident. That is its newest year reported to the Census Bureau.
What stands out about how Cottonwood Heights is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$567 per resident in 2022: less than 83% of them
Cottonwood Heights’ day-to-day spending in 2022 ($567 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 $616–$1,434. Cottonwood Heights spent less than 83% of 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; Cottonwood Heights itself left out).
About $516 per resident a year, or $1.41 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 27%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is down 10% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Cottonwood Heights 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: $567 · 2023: $516.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $3,633 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.52% 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 Cottonwood Heights’ 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 Cottonwood Heights’ Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Cottonwood Heights →
Who’s in charge in Cottonwood Heights
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Cottonwood Heights’ meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on cottonwoodheights.utah.gov ↗.
One full-time city 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 2023 finance file (32,864).
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.
Canyons School District
Cottonwood Heights’ K–12 school district, shared with Alta, Brighton, Midvale, White City, Sandy and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $12,093 per pupil, $7,045 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.
Cottonwood Heights’ votes are counted by county
Utah reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Cottonwood Heights alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Salt Lake County’s results.
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat53.7%273,577 votes
Donald J TrumpRepublican43.5%221,458 votesOthers: 2.8% (14,421 votes).
Most votes in Salt Lake County: Kamala D Harris
Utah: Trump 59.4%, Harris 37.8%
100% of Cottonwood Heights lies in Salt Lake County. Every 2024 race in Salt Lake County is on the county’s page.
Salt Lake 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 Cottonwood Heights.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: cottonwoodheights.utah.gov ↗
- 2Utah HouseCottonwood Heights is split between 3 districts
- 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 Cottonwood Heights compares with the towns next door
Cottonwood Heights spent $567 per resident in 2022; the 4 neighbors that reported 2022 spent $598 to $2,900. 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 Cottonwood Heights’ government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Cottonwood Heights’ government
How much does Cottonwood Heights spend per resident?
About $516 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 $567 was less than 83% of 23 Utah cities of 25,000–49,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Cottonwood Heights?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $3,633 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.52% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.52% across Utah. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see cottonwoodheights.utah.gov.
Who runs Cottonwood Heights’ government?
See cottonwoodheights.utah.gov for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Cottonwood Heights yet.
How did Cottonwood Heights vote in 2024?
Utah counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Cottonwood Heights alone. Salt Lake County, where 100% of Cottonwood Heights lies, voted Harris 53.7%, Trump 43.5% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Cottonwood Heights?
78 full-time and 29 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $486,867 (about $5.8M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Cottonwood Heights in the state legislature?
Cottonwood Heights is split among 3 State House districts and 2 State Senate districts, so your address decides. The Utah Legislature’s lookup finds yours. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Cottonwood Heights’ 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 →