Photo: Brian Stansberry · CC BY 4.0Bluefield spent more per resident in 2022 than 70% of similar cities
Bluefield’s town government spent $11.1 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, about $2,213 per resident. Water and other utilities ($1 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Bluefield is run
Read from the town’s budget and official records.
$1,674 per resident in 2022: more than 70% of them
Bluefield’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,674 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 27 Virginia cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,509, and the middle half spent $1,258–$1,804. Bluefield spent more than 70% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($800,000), as the Census Bureau counts them. Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →
Virginia cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Bluefield itself left out).
About $2,213 per resident a year, or $6.06 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 27%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is up 37% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Bluefield 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: $1,674 · 2024: $2,213. Per resident it went from $1,674 to $2,213 (up 32%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 4,814 to 5,001.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $949 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.62% of the home’s value, vs 0.73% across Virginia.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Bluefield’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 Bluefield’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Bluefield →
Who’s in charge in Bluefield
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Bluefield’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The town posts agendas and minutes on bluefieldva.org ↗.
One full-time town employee for every 69 residents
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (5,001).
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.
Tazewell County Public Schools
Bluefield’s K–12 school district, shared with Cedar Bluff, Pocahontas, Richlands, Tazewell. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $14,708 per pupil, $7,989 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.
Virginia districts overall: 49% local, 41% state, 10% federal.
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Bluefield’s votes are counted by county
Virginia reports official results by county and precinct, not by town, so there are no official results for Bluefield alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Tazewell County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican83.9%16,711 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat15.2%3,030 votesOthers: 0.8% (165 votes).
Most votes in Tazewell County: Donald J Trump
Virginia: Harris 51.8%, Trump 46.1%
100% of Bluefield lies in Tazewell County. Every 2024 race in Tazewell County is on the county’s page.
Tazewell 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 Bluefield.
- 1Your townTown governmentOfficials: bluefieldva.org ↗
- 2Virginia House of DelegatesState representatives
- 3Virginia SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Virginia
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
Reach Bluefield’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Bluefield’s government
How much does Bluefield spend per resident?
About $2,213 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $1,674 was more than 70% of 27 Virginia cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Bluefield?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $949 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.62% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.73% across Virginia. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see bluefieldva.org.
Who runs Bluefield’s government?
See bluefieldva.org for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Bluefield yet.
How did Bluefield vote in 2024?
Virginia counts votes by county and precinct, not by town, so there are no official results for Bluefield alone. Tazewell County, where 100% of Bluefield lies, voted Trump 83.9%, Harris 15.2% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Bluefield?
72 full-time and 74 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $315,703 (about $3.8M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Bluefield in the state legislature?
State Senate District 5 (Travis Hackworth) and House of Delegates District 43 (Will Morefield). The House of Delegates district also covers nine other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Bluefield’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 →