Photo: InSapphoWeTrust from Los Angeles, California, USA · CC BY-SA 2.0Vernal spent more per resident in 2022 than 87% of similar cities
Vernal’s city government spent $19.9 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2023, about $1,946 per resident. That is its newest year reported to the Census Bureau. Water and other utilities ($3.1 million) and the airport ($446,000) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Vernal is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$1,722 per resident in 2022: more than 87% of them
Vernal’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,722 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 23 Utah cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $849, and the middle half spent $698–$1,272. Vernal spent more than 87% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($1.8 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 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Vernal itself left out).
About $1,946 per resident a year, or $5.33 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: administration & buildings, at 41%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is up 11% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Vernal 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: $1,722 · 2023: $1,946.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $1,332 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.53% 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 Vernal’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 Vernal’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Vernal →
Who’s in charge in Vernal
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Vernal’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on vernalcity.org ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 144 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 (10,241).
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.
Uintah School District
Vernal’s K–12 school district, shared with Ballard, Naples. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $12,916 per pupil, $7,143 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.
Vernal’s votes are counted by county
Utah reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Vernal alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Uintah County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican85.9%13,595 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat12.3%1,947 votesOthers: 1.8% (281 votes).
Most votes in Uintah County: Donald J Trump
Utah: Trump 59.4%, Harris 37.8%
100% of Vernal lies in Uintah County. Every 2024 race in Uintah County is on the county’s page.
Uintah 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 Vernal.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: vernalcity.org ↗
- 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.
How Vernal compares with the towns next door
Vernal spent $1,722 per resident in 2022. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Vernal | $1,722 | $1,332 |
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 Vernal’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Vernal’s government
How much does Vernal spend per resident?
About $1,946 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 $1,722 was more than 87% of 23 Utah cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Vernal?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,332 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.53% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.52% across Utah. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see vernalcity.org.
Who runs Vernal’s government?
See vernalcity.org for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Vernal yet.
How did Vernal vote in 2024?
Utah counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Vernal alone. Uintah County, where 100% of Vernal lies, voted Trump 85.9%, Harris 12.3% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Vernal?
71 full-time and 4 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $313,966 (about $3.8M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Vernal in the state legislature?
State Senate District 20 (Ron Winterton) and State House District 68 (Scott Chew). The House district also covers six other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Vernal’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 →