Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to Orem

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in
Orem Utah City CenterPhoto: Ntsimp · Public domain
Town Hall · Orem

Orem spent less per resident in 2022 than 76% of similar cities

Orem’s city government spent $74.7 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2023, about $763 per resident. That is its newest year reported to the Census Bureau. Water and other utilities ($9.2 million) are counted separately.

Town website
Election Day

Tomorrow

General election in Utah.

Register or check: vote.gov ↗
Day-to-day spending, 2023
$74.7M
year to June 30, 2023
Per resident, 2023
$763
In 2022: $680, less than 76% of 38 similar cities
Long-term debt
Not reported
end of FY2023, reported
City staff, 2025
468
full-time · 718 part-time · March payroll $3.6M · Census estimate
Typical tax bill
$1,926
0.41% of home value · UT 0.52%

What stands out about how Orem is run

Read from the city’s budget, meetings and official records.

Agendas posted online6 upcoming meetings posted, with agendas.Mayor Karen McCandlessAs listed by Open States, October 9, 2026.Spends less than most similar citiesIn 2022: $680 per resident, less than 76% of 38 similar cities.Runs its own water & sewer22% of day-to-day spending goes to water, sewer and trash (2023).
★ What stands out · Meetings

6 upcoming meetings at town hall

From Orem’s own agenda portal, checked daily. Agendas can change up to the meeting, so check before you go.

Recent meetings

Go in person

Most meetings are open to the public, and many have a public comment period at the start.

Agenda portal ↗
Your share of the 2023 budget

About $763 per resident a year, or $2.09 a day

Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 23%.

Where the money comes from
Sales taxes 33%Fees & charges 27%Utility sales 11%Interest, fines & other 11%Property taxes 8%From the state 6%From the federal government 2%Other taxes & licenses 1%
Not in the receipt.Building projects $21.8 million; interest on debt $53,000. With these and the enterprises, the whole budget was $106.3 million.
Compared with similar places

$680 per resident in 2022: less than 76% of them

Orem’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($680 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 38 Utah cities of 50,000–99,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $938, and the middle half spent $722–$1,569. Orem spent less than 76% of them.

Middle half of the group, $722–$1,569Median $938Orem

Includes sewer and trash ($7.1 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 →

The group
38

Utah cities of 50,000–99,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Orem itself left out).

Over the years

Day-to-day spending is up 11% since 2022

Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Orem reported to the Census Bureau. Prices rose too: about 4% a year in 2022–2024.

Day-to-day spending by fiscal year

2022$67.3 million
2023$74.7 million

Per resident: 2022: $680 · 2023: $763.

City staff
468

full-time in March 2025, up from 458 in 2022. Both are Census estimates.

Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.

Who runs it

Who’s in charge in Orem

From public records with a current term; a name is hidden the day its term ends.

Karen McCandlessMayor · as listed by Open States, October 9, 2026Office of the Mayor ↗

Council members and agencies: orem.org ↗

Property tax

The typical homeowner pays $1,926 a year

Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.41% of the home’s value, vs 0.52% across Utah.

What homes cost →

Typical yearly bill next door and statewide

Lindon$2,709
Vineyard$2,604
Utah$2,525
Provo$2,297
Orem$1,926
$1,926
typical bill a year
0.41%
effective rate
$472,300
typical home value (Census)
Your own bill

The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Orem’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 Orem’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Orem →

Who works for Orem

One full-time city employee for every 209 residents

On the payroll in March 2025, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll (a Census estimate). Residents: the Census population in the 2023 finance file (97,861).

By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2025

Parks & libraries54 + 581 pt
Police134 + 61 pt
Fire77 + 2 pt
Administration & buildings68 + 15 pt
Sewer & trash40 + 1 pt
Water & other utilities27 + 2 pt
Roads & transportation20 + 7 pt
Courts, inspections & corrections16 + 4 pt
Health & welfare9 + 10 pt
Housing & development3
Other20 + 35 pt
468
full-time
718
part-time
$3.6M
payroll for March 2025
$42.9M
a year, estimated (March × 12)
$81,700
average full-time pay, before benefits (March × 12)
100
sworn police officers
77
full-time firefighters
Compared, 2022.Orem had 4.6 full-time staff per 1,000 residents in March 2022. The median for the 32 of the 38 Utah cities of 50,000–99,999 that don’t run their own schools that reported 2022 staff was 4.5: Orem had more than 50% of them. Same group and year as the budget comparison.

The Census reports one month’s payroll (March); yearly figures are that month × 12, an estimate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.

The school district

Alpine School District

Orem’s K–12 school district, shared with Alpine, American Fork, Cedar Fort, Cedar Hills, Eagle Mountain and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.

Schools in Orem →
$10,044
per pupil · UT $11,467
87,051
students
$472.2 million
long-term debt

Of the $10,044 per pupil, $6,868 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.

The district: schools, scores and graduation →

Where the district’s money comes from
Local 39%State 56%Federal 5%

Utah districts overall: 42% local, 51% state, 8% federal.

School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.

Elections · 2024 general election

Orem’s votes are counted by county

Utah reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Orem alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Utah County’s results.

President · Utah County’s results298,064 votes · results as certified
Donald J TrumpDonald J TrumpRepublican68.2%203,417 votes
Kamala D HarrisKamala D HarrisDemocrat28.5%84,922 votes

Others: 3.3% (9,725 votes).

Most votes in Utah County: Donald J Trump

Utah: Trump 59.4%, Harris 37.8%

The county’s page

100% of Orem lies in Utah County. Every 2024 race in Utah County is on the county’s page.

Utah County’s 2024 results →
DemocratRepublicanLibertarianIndependent / other

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.

Who represents Orem

From town hall to Washington

Orem sends 4 representatives to the Utah House alone.

2024 results ↑
  1. 1
    Your cityMayor
    Karen McCandlessas listed by Open States, October 9, 2026
  2. 2
    Utah HouseOrem is split between 4 districts
    Nelson AbbottDave ShallenbergerVal PetersonLisa Shepherd
  3. 3
    Utah SenateState senator
    Keith GroverKeven Stratton
  4. 4
    GovernorStatewide
    Spencer Cox
  5. 5
    U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
    Mike Kennedy
  6. 6
    U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Utah
    Mike LeeJohn R. Curtis
Find your state legislators by address ↗

Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.

Next door

How Orem compares with the towns next door

Orem spent $680 per resident in 2022; the 3 neighbors that reported 2022 spent $809 to $1,271. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.

Provo: $826 per resident (2022)Vineyard: $809 per resident (2022)Lindon: $1,271 per resident (2022)ProvoVineyardLindonOrem
Spends the leastSpends the mostEstimate or no figures
TownDay-to-day, per resident (2022)Tax bill
Vineyard$809$2,604
Provo$826$2,297
Lindon$1,271$2,709
Orem$680$1,926

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 Orem’s government

The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.

The Handbook →
Official websiteorem.org ↗

Questions about Orem’s government

How much does Orem spend per resident?

About $763 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 $680 was less than 76% of 38 Utah cities of 50,000–99,999 that don’t run their own schools.

What is the property tax rate in Orem?

Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,926 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.41% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.52% across Utah. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see orem.org.

Who is the mayor of Orem?

Karen McCandless, as listed by Open States (checked October 9, 2026). The council and agencies are listed on orem.org.

How did Orem vote in 2024?

Utah counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Orem alone. Utah County, where 100% of Orem lies, voted Trump 68.2%, Harris 28.5% for president; its page has every race.

How many people work for Orem?

468 full-time and 718 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $3.6M (about $42.9M a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.

Who represents Orem in the state legislature?

Orem is split among 4 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.

When is the next public meeting in Orem?

The next posted meeting is Planning Commission on Wednesday, November 4, at 4:30 pm in 56 North State Street, from the city’s own agenda portal.

Ask neighbors about Orem’s government

Neighbors who’ve been to the meetings can help.

Town Square →
Ask neighbors

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 →