Photo: JodyMBrumage · CC BY-SA 4.0Onancock spent more per resident in 2022 than 72% of similar cities
Onancock’s town government spent $1.4 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, about $1,196 per resident. Water and other utilities ($1 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Onancock is run
Read from the town’s budget and official records.
$1,313 per resident in 2022: more than 72% of them
Onancock’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,313 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 76 Virginia cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $516, and the middle half spent $292–$1,368. Onancock spent more than 72% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($512,000), 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 under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Onancock itself left out).
About $1,196 per resident a year, or $3.28 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 36%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is down 12% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Onancock 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: $1,313 · 2023: $653 · 2024: $1,196.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $1,685 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.57% 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 Onancock’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. In a town this small the estimate has a wide margin.
Tax bills are one input to Onancock’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Onancock →
Who’s in charge in Onancock
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time town employee for every 129 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 (1,160).
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.
Accomack County Public Schools
Onancock’s K–12 school district, shared with Accomac, Bloxom, Chincoteague, Hallwood, Keller and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $15,694 per pupil, $8,825 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.
Onancock’s votes are counted by county
Virginia reports official results by county and precinct, not by town, so there are no official results for Onancock alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Accomack County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican56.2%9,659 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat42.9%7,374 votesOthers: 0.8% (143 votes).
Most votes in Accomack County: Donald J Trump
Virginia: Harris 51.8%, Trump 46.1%
100% of Onancock lies in Accomack County. Every 2024 race in Accomack County is on the county’s page.
Accomack 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 Onancock.
- 1Your townTown governmentLocal officials aren’t on record yet.
- 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 Onancock’s government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about Onancock’s government
How much does Onancock spend per resident?
About $1,196 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 $1,313 was more than 72% of 76 Virginia cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Onancock?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,685 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.57% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.73% across Virginia. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see the town’s assessor.
Who runs Onancock’s government?
We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Onancock yet.
How did Onancock vote in 2024?
Virginia counts votes by county and precinct, not by town, so there are no official results for Onancock alone. Accomack County, where 100% of Onancock lies, voted Trump 56.2%, Harris 42.9% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Onancock?
9 full-time and 9 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $50,778 (about $609,336 a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Onancock in the state legislature?
State Senate District 20 (Bill DeSteph) and House of Delegates District 100 (Rob Bloxom). The House of Delegates district also covers 19 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Onancock’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 →