Photo: Mojo Hand · CC BY-SA 4.0How is Colonial Heights run?
Colonial Heights’ city government spent $91 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2023, about $4,979 per resident. That is its newest year reported to the Census Bureau. Water and other utilities ($1.7 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Colonial Heights is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
Colonial Heights City Public Schools
Colonial Heights’ K–12 school district. The schools are run by Colonial Heights, so this money is part of the budget above.
Of the $16,698 per pupil, $10,371 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 $4,979 per resident a year, or $13.64 a day
Schools are part of the city’s budget, so they lead the receipt: 50% of day-to-day spending.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Colonial Heights 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.
$4,870 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Colonial Heights’ day-to-day spending in 2022 ($4,870 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 22 Virginia cities of 10,000–24,999 that run their own schools: the median was $5,011, and the middle half spent $4,277–$5,900. Colonial Heights spent more than 50% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($3.5 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; Colonial Heights itself left out).
Day-to-day spending is up 9% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Colonial Heights 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: $4,870 · 2023: $4,979. Per resident it went from $4,870 to $4,979 (up 2%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 17,205 to 18,273.
full-time in March 2025, down from 851 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 $2,071 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.84% 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 Colonial Heights’ 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 Colonial Heights’ Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Colonial Heights →
Who’s in charge in Colonial Heights
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Colonial Heights’ meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on colonialheightsva.gov ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 23 residents
On the payroll in March 2025, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2023 finance file (18,273).
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 Colonial Heights voted in 2024
Official results for Colonial Heights’ own voters, as certified after the November 5, 2024 general election, with the county and the state beside them.
Donald J TrumpRepublican65.6%5,883 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat33.3%2,982 votesOthers: 1.1% (99 votes).
Most votes in Colonial Heights: Donald J Trump
Colonial Heights city: Trump 65.6%, Harris 33.3% · Virginia: Harris 51.8%, Trump 46.1%
of Colonial Heights’ 13,486 adult citizens voted for president in 2024. Across Virginia: 71%.
Votes ÷ citizens of voting age (Census CVAP, 2020–24 ACS).
Most votes in Colonial Heights: Hung Cao
Colonial Heights city: Cao 62.6%, Kaine 37.4% · Virginia: Kaine 54.4%, Cao 45.4%
Most votes in the district: Jennifer L McClellan
Whole-district result
President, 2024: Colonial Heights, its county and the state
| Trump | Harris | Others | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colonial Heights | 65.6% | 33.3% | 1.1% | 8,964 |
| Colonial Heights city | 65.6% | 33.3% | 1.1% | 8,964 |
| 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 Colonial Heights.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: colonialheightsva.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 Colonial Heights compares with the towns next door
Colonial Heights spent $4,870 per resident in 2022; the neighbor that reported 2022 spent $2,075. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Petersburg | $2,075 runs schools | $1,523 |
| Colonial Heights | $4,870 | $2,071 |
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 Colonial Heights’ government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Colonial Heights’ government
How much does Colonial Heights spend per resident?
About $4,979 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 $4,870 was more than 50% of 22 Virginia cities of 10,000–24,999 that run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Colonial Heights?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $2,071 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.84% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.73% across Virginia. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see colonialheightsva.gov.
Who runs Colonial Heights’ government?
See colonialheightsva.gov for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Colonial Heights yet.
How did Colonial Heights vote in 2024?
For president, Donald J Trump 65.6%, Kamala D Harris 33.3% (8,964 votes, official results). Colonial Heights city: Trump 65.6%, Harris 33.3%. Virginia: Harris 51.8%, Trump 46.1%.
How many people work for Colonial Heights?
802 full-time and 347 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $4.7M (about $55.9M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Colonial Heights in the state legislature?
State Senate District 12 (Glen Sturtevant) and House of Delegates District 74 (Mike Cherry). Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Colonial Heights’ 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 →