Photo: SounderBruce · CC BY-SA 4.0How is Arlington run?
Arlington’s city government spent $22.9 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, about $1,087 per resident. Water and other utilities ($3.6 million) and the airport ($2.6 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Arlington is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
About $1,087 per resident a year, or $2.98 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 40%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$1,227 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Arlington’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,227 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 40 Washington cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,128, and the middle half spent $944–$1,528. Arlington spent more than 60% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($4 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 →
Washington cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Arlington itself left out).
Day-to-day spending is down 11% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Arlington 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: $1,227 · 2023: $1,058 · 2024: $1,087.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $3,534 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.66% of the home’s value, vs 0.81% across Washington.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Arlington’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 Arlington’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Arlington →
Who’s in charge in Arlington
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Arlington’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on arlingtonwa.gov ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 206 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 (21,059).
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.
Arlington School District
Arlington’s K–12 school district. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $16,858 per pupil, $10,530 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.
Washington districts overall: 27% local, 66% state, 8% federal.
Lakewood School District · $18,098 per pupil
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Arlington’s votes are counted by county
Washington reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Arlington alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Snohomish County’s results.
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat57.4%239,843 votes
Donald J TrumpRepublican38.6%161,142 votesOthers: 4.0% (16,728 votes).
Most votes in Snohomish County: Kamala D Harris
Washington: Harris 57.2%, Trump 39.0%
100% of Arlington lies in Snohomish County. Every 2024 race in Snohomish County is on the county’s page.
Snohomish 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 Arlington.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: arlingtonwa.gov ↗
- 2Washington HouseState representatives
- 3Washington SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Washington
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
How Arlington compares with the towns next door
Arlington spent $1,227 per resident in 2022; the neighbor that reported 2022 spent $919. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Marysville | $919 | $4,115 |
| Arlington | $1,227 | $3,534 |
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 Arlington’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Arlington’s government
How much does Arlington spend per resident?
About $1,087 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $1,227 was more than 60% of 40 Washington cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Arlington?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $3,534 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.66% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.81% across Washington. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see arlingtonwa.gov.
Who runs Arlington’s government?
See arlingtonwa.gov for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Arlington yet.
How did Arlington vote in 2024?
Washington counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Arlington alone. Snohomish County, where 100% of Arlington lies, voted Harris 57.4%, Trump 38.6% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Arlington?
102 full-time and 8 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $850,477 (about $10.2M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Arlington in the state legislature?
State Senate District 10 (Ron Muzzall) and State House District 10 (Clyde Shavers and Dave Paul). The House district also covers six other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Arlington’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 →