Bryce Canyon National Park Scenic Trails Historic District · Photo: Paxson Woelber · CC BY-SA 3.0Tropic spent less per resident in 2022 than 98% of similar cities
Tropic’s city government spent $32,000 on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2022, about $62 per resident.
What stands out about how Tropic is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$62 per resident in 2022: less than 98% of them
Tropic’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($62 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 $548, and the middle half spent $328–$952. Tropic spent less than 98% 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; Tropic itself left out).
About $62 per resident a year, or $0.17 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: administration & buildings, at 100%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
No trend yet
Tropic reported only 2022 to the Census Bureau, so there is no trend yet.
The typical homeowner pays $953 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.37% 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 Tropic’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 Tropic’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Tropic →
Who’s in charge in Tropic
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time city employee for every 257 residents
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2022 finance file (514).
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.
Garfield School District
Tropic’s K–12 school district, shared with Antimony, Boulder, Bryce Canyon City, Cannonville, Escalante and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $12,037 per pupil, $6,671 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.
Tropic’s votes are counted by county
Utah reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Tropic alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Garfield County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican78.6%2,209 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat19.3%541 votesOthers: 2.1% (59 votes).
Most votes in Garfield County: Donald J Trump
Utah: Trump 59.4%, Harris 37.8%
100% of Tropic lies in Garfield County. Every 2024 race in Garfield County is on the county’s page.
Garfield 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 Tropic.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilLocal 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.
Reach Tropic’s government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about Tropic’s government
How much does Tropic spend per resident?
About $62 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2022, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $62 was less than 98% of 139 Utah cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Tropic?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $953 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.37% 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 runs Tropic’s government?
We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Tropic yet.
How did Tropic vote in 2024?
Utah counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Tropic alone. Garfield County, where 100% of Tropic lies, voted Trump 78.6%, Harris 19.3% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Tropic?
2 full-time and 2 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $9,664 (about $115,968 a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Tropic in the state legislature?
State Senate District 27 (Derrin Owens) and State House District 69 (Logan Monson). The House district also covers 26 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Tropic’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 →