Photo: Quintin Soloviev · CC BY 4.0How is Clifton Forge run?
Clifton Forge’s town government spent $4.7 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, about $1,359 per resident. Water and other utilities ($706,000) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Clifton Forge is run
Read from the town’s budget and official records.
Alleghany Highlands Public Schools
Clifton Forge’s K–12 school district, shared with Covington, Iron Gate. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $15,721 per pupil, $8,801 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 $1,359 per resident a year, or $3.72 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 23%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
No comparison for Clifton Forge yet
The fair comparison uses 2022, the last year the Census Bureau counted every government (later years are a sample). Clifton Forge’s 2022 figures are a Census estimate (it reported none of its 2022 dollars), so it has no like-for-like peer figure. It reported 2024; the next full count is 2027.
How Town Hall compares budgets →Day-to-day spending is up 7% since 2023
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Clifton Forge reported to the Census Bureau. Prices rose too: about 4% a year in 2022–2024.
Day-to-day spending by fiscal year
Per resident: 2023: $1,262 · 2024: $1,359.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $880 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.80% 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 Clifton Forge’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 Clifton Forge’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Clifton Forge →
Who’s in charge in Clifton Forge
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Clifton Forge’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The town posts agendas and minutes on cliftonforgeva.gov ↗.
One full-time town employee for every 63 residents
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll (a Census estimate). Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (3,447).
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.
Clifton Forge’s votes are counted by county
Virginia reports official results by county and precinct, not by town, so there are no official results for Clifton Forge alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Alleghany County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican73.5%6,093 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat25.5%2,114 votesOthers: 1.0% (86 votes).
Most votes in Alleghany County: Donald J Trump
Virginia: Harris 51.8%, Trump 46.1%
100% of Clifton Forge lies in Alleghany County. Every 2024 race in Alleghany County is on the county’s page.
Alleghany 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 Clifton Forge.
- 1Your townTown governmentOfficials: cliftonforgeva.gov ↗
- 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.
How Clifton Forge compares with the towns next door
Clifton Forge’s 2022 figures are a Census estimate, so it isn’t placed among them. None of its neighbors reported 2022 figures. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Clifton Forge | estimate | $880 |
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 Clifton Forge’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Clifton Forge’s government
How much does Clifton Forge spend per resident?
About $1,359 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, as reported to the Census Bureau.
What is the property tax rate in Clifton Forge?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $880 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.80% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.73% across Virginia. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see cliftonforgeva.gov.
Who runs Clifton Forge’s government?
See cliftonforgeva.gov for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Clifton Forge yet.
How did Clifton Forge vote in 2024?
Virginia counts votes by county and precinct, not by town, so there are no official results for Clifton Forge alone. Alleghany County, where 100% of Clifton Forge lies, voted Trump 73.5%, Harris 25.5% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Clifton Forge?
55 full-time and 5 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $198,459 (about $2.4M a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.
Who represents Clifton Forge in the state legislature?
State Senate District 3 (Chris Head) and House of Delegates District 37 (Terry Austin). The House of Delegates district also covers 10 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Clifton Forge’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 →