Benjamin and Olivia Meek House · Photo: Ntsimp · CC0How is Draper run?
Draper’s city government spent $85.4 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2023, about $1,651 per resident. That is its newest year reported to the Census Bureau. Water and other utilities ($4.4 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Draper is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
Canyons School District
Draper’s K–12 school district, shared with Alta, Brighton, Cottonwood Heights, Midvale, White City 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.
Alpine School District · $10,044 per pupil
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
About $1,651 per resident a year, or $4.52 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: administration & buildings, at 14%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$870 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Draper’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($870 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 $802, and the middle half spent $603–$1,434. Draper spent more than 56% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($2.7 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; Draper itself left out).
Day-to-day spending is up 101% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Draper 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: $870 · 2023: $1,651. Per resident it went from $870 to $1,651 (up 90%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 48,963 to 51,749.
full-time in March 2025, up from 233 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 $3,858 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.49% 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 Draper’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 Draper’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Draper →
Who’s in charge in Draper
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Draper’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on draperutah.gov ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 193 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 (51,749).
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.
Draper’s votes are counted by county
Utah reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Draper 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%
93% of Draper lies in Salt Lake County; the rest in Utah 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 Draper.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: draperutah.gov ↗
- 2Utah HouseDraper is split between 3 districts
- 3Utah SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseSplit between districts
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Utah
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
How Draper compares with the towns next door
Draper spent $870 per resident in 2022; the 7 neighbors that reported 2022 spent $523 to $1,682. 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 Draper’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Draper’s government
How much does Draper spend per resident?
About $1,651 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 $870 was more than 56% of 23 Utah cities of 25,000–49,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Draper?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $3,858 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.49% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.52% across Utah. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see draperutah.gov.
Who runs Draper’s government?
See draperutah.gov for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Draper yet.
How did Draper vote in 2024?
Utah counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Draper alone. Salt Lake County, where 93% of Draper lies, voted Harris 53.7%, Trump 43.5% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Draper?
268 full-time and 73 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $2.3M (about $27.6M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Draper in the state legislature?
Draper is split among 3 State House districts and 3 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 Draper’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 →