Photo: AppalachianCentrist · CC BY-SA 4.0How is Bristol run?
Bristol’s city government spent $118.2 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, about $6,964 per resident.
What stands out about how Bristol is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
Bristol City Public Schools
Bristol’s K–12 school district. The schools are run by Bristol, so this money is part of the budget above.
Of the $18,296 per pupil, $12,623 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.
About $6,964 per resident a year, or $19.08 a day
Schools are part of the city’s budget, so they lead the receipt: 33% of day-to-day spending.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Bristol runs its own schools, so school spending is part of this budget. Comparisons are with Virginia cities of 10,000–24,999 that run their own schools.
$5,255 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Bristol’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($5,255 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 22 Virginia cities of 10,000–24,999 that run their own schools: the median was $4,818, and the middle half spent $4,277–$5,900. Bristol spent more than 55% of them.
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 →
Virginia cities of 10,000–24,999 that run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Bristol itself left out).
Day-to-day spending is up 30% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Bristol 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: $5,255 · 2023: $6,908 · 2024: $6,964.
full-time in March 2025, up from 651 in 2022.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $1,387 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.75% 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 Bristol’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 Bristol’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Bristol →
Who’s in charge in Bristol
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Bristol’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on bristolva.org ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 26 residents
On the payroll in March 2025, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (16,975).
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.
How Bristol voted in 2024
Official results for Bristol’s own voters, as certified after the November 5, 2024 general election, with the county and the state beside them.
Donald J TrumpRepublican69.4%5,197 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat29.8%2,231 votesOthers: 0.8% (62 votes).
Most votes in Bristol: Donald J Trump
Bristol city: Trump 69.4%, Harris 29.8% · Virginia: Harris 51.8%, Trump 46.1%
of Bristol’s 13,340 adult citizens voted for president in 2024. Across Virginia: 71%.
Votes ÷ citizens of voting age (Census CVAP, 2020–24 ACS).
Most votes in Bristol: Hung Cao
Bristol city: Cao 64.1%, Kaine 35.9% · Virginia: Kaine 54.4%, Cao 45.4%
Most votes in the district: H Morgan Griffith
Whole-district result
President, 2024: Bristol, its county and the state
| Trump | Harris | Others | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bristol | 69.4% | 29.8% | 0.8% | 7,490 |
| Bristol city | 69.4% | 29.8% | 0.8% | 7,490 |
| Virginia | 46.1% | 51.8% | 2.1% | 4,503,288 |
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 Bristol.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: bristolva.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 Bristol’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Bristol’s government
How much does Bristol spend per resident?
About $6,964 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 $5,255 was more than 55% of 22 Virginia cities of 10,000–24,999 that run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Bristol?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,387 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.75% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.73% across Virginia. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see bristolva.org.
Who runs Bristol’s government?
See bristolva.org for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Bristol yet.
How did Bristol vote in 2024?
For president, Donald J Trump 69.4%, Kamala D Harris 29.8% (7,490 votes, official results). Bristol city: Trump 69.4%, Harris 29.8%. Virginia: Harris 51.8%, Trump 46.1%.
How many people work for Bristol?
654 full-time and 364 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $4.1M (about $49.0M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Bristol in the state legislature?
State Senate District 6 (Todd Pillion) and House of Delegates District 44 (Israel O'Quinn). The House of Delegates district also covers seven other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Bristol’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 →