Photo: Invictus323 · CC BY 4.0Salt Lake City spent more per resident in 2022 than 94% of similar cities
Salt Lake City’s city government spent $465.4 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2023, about $2,322 per resident. That is its newest year reported to the Census Bureau. Water and other utilities ($65.3 million) and the airport ($149.5 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Salt Lake City is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
Who’s in charge in Salt Lake City
From public records with a current term; a name is hidden the day its term ends.
About $2,322 per resident a year, or $6.36 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 16%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$2,486 per resident in 2022: more than 94% of them
Salt Lake City’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($2,486 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 250 Utah cities that don’t run their own schools: the median was $760, and the middle half spent $449–$1,176. Salt Lake City spent more than 94% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($49.1 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 →
Utah cities that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Salt Lake City itself left out).
Day-to-day spending is down 8% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Salt Lake 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: $2,486 · 2023: $2,322.
full-time in March 2025, up from 3,251 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.
The typical homeowner pays $2,729 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.51% 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 Salt Lake 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 Salt Lake City’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Salt Lake City →
One full-time city employee for every 58 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 (200,478).
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.
Salt Lake City School District
Salt Lake City’s K–12 school district. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $14,955 per pupil, $8,475 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.
Salt Lake 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 Salt Lake City 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 Salt Lake City 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
Salt Lake City sends 7 representatives to the Utah House alone.
- 1Your cityMayorErin Mendenhallas listed by Open States, October 9, 2026
- 2Utah HouseSalt Lake City is split between 7 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 Salt Lake City compares with the towns next door
Salt Lake City spent $2,486 per resident in 2022; the 6 neighbors that reported 2022 spent $22 to $1,251. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Magna | $22 | $2,512 |
| Emigration Canyon | $65 | $7,098 |
| Millcreek | $464 | $3,533 |
| North Salt Lake | $849 | $2,699 |
| South Salt Lake | $961 | $2,426 |
| West Valley City | $1,251 | $2,482 |
| Salt Lake City | $2,486 | $2,729 |
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 Salt Lake City’s government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about Salt Lake City’s government
How much does Salt Lake City spend per resident?
About $2,322 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 $2,486 was more than 94% of 250 Utah cities that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Salt Lake City?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $2,729 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.51% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.52% across Utah. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see the city’s assessor.
Who is the mayor of Salt Lake City?
Erin Mendenhall, as listed by Open States (checked October 9, 2026).
How did Salt Lake City vote in 2024?
Utah counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Salt Lake City alone. Salt Lake County, where 100% of Salt Lake City lies, voted Harris 53.7%, Trump 43.5% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Salt Lake City?
3,475 full-time and 517 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $25.6M (about $307.2M a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.
Who represents Salt Lake City in the state legislature?
Salt Lake City is split among 7 State House districts and 5 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 Salt Lake 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 →