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Bucoda Town Hall and Community Center, September 2020Photo: Steven Baltakatei Sandoval · CC BY-SA 4.0
Town Hall · Bucoda

Bucoda spent less per resident in 2022 than 86% of similar cities

Bucoda’s town government spent $358,000 on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2022, about $606 per resident. Water and other utilities ($124,000) are counted separately.

Town website
Day-to-day spending, 2022
$358,000
year to December 31, 2022
Per resident, 2022
$606
In 2022: $606, less than 86% of 118 similar cities
Long-term debt
Not reported
end of 2022, reported
Town staff, 2022
1
full-time · 1 part-time · March payroll $4,251
Typical tax bill
$1,891
0.70% of home value · WA 0.81%

What stands out about how Bucoda is run

Read from the town’s budget and official records.

Spends less than most similar citiesIn 2022: $606 per resident, less than 86% of 118 similar cities.Runs its own water & sewer38% of day-to-day spending goes to water, sewer and trash (2022).A shared school districtShares Tenino School District with 1 other town.Lower tax billsThe typical bill is $1,891 a year: 0.70% of the home’s value, vs 0.81% across Washington.
Compared with similar places

$606 per resident in 2022: less than 86% of them

Bucoda’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($606 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 118 Washington cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $995, and the middle half spent $714–$1,357. Bucoda spent less than 86% of them.

Middle half of the group, $714–$1,357Median $995Bucoda

Includes sewer and trash ($60,000), as the Census Bureau counts them. Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →

The group
118

Washington cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Bucoda itself left out).

Your share of the 2022 budget

About $606 per resident a year, or $1.66 a day

Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 17%.

Where the money comes from
From the state 58%Utility sales 11%Fees & charges 11%Property taxes 7%Sales taxes 5%Other taxes & licenses 3%From other local governments 3%Interest, fines & other 1%
Not in the receipt.Building projects $325,000. With these and the enterprises, the whole budget was $807,000.
About “Other”.32% of Bucoda’s day-to-day spending ($114,000) is filed by the Census Bureau outside the named functions above, so the receipt can’t say what it buys.
Over the years

No trend yet

Bucoda reported only 2022 to the Census Bureau, so there is no trend yet.

Property tax

The typical homeowner pays $1,891 a year

Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.70% of the home’s value, vs 0.81% across Washington.

What homes cost →

Typical yearly bill next door and statewide

Washington$4,556
Bucoda$1,891
$1,891
typical bill a year
0.70%
effective rate
$270,000
typical home value (Census)
Your own bill

The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Bucoda’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 Bucoda’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Bucoda →

Who runs it

Who’s in charge in Bucoda

Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.

See bucoda.us for Bucoda’s current officialsWe name an official only when a public source lists a current term. None does for Bucoda yet.bucoda.us ↗
Agendas

Bucoda’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The town posts agendas and minutes on bucoda.us ↗.

Who works for Bucoda

One full-time town employee for every 591 residents

On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2022 finance file (591).

By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2022

Administration & buildings1
Water & other utilities0 + 1 pt
1
full-time
1
part-time
$4,251
payroll for March 2022
$51,012
a year, estimated (March × 12)
$30,100
average full-time pay, before benefits (March × 12)
Compared, 2022.Bucoda had 1.7 full-time staff per 1,000 residents in March 2022. The median for the 100 of the 118 Washington cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools that reported 2022 staff was 6.4: Bucoda had fewer than 87% of them. Same group and year as the budget comparison.

The Census reports one month’s payroll (March); yearly figures are that month × 12, an estimate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.

The school district

Tenino School District

Bucoda’s K–12 school district, shared with Tenino. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.

Schools in Bucoda →
$17,763
per pupil · WA $18,444
1,285
students
$645,000
long-term debt

Of the $17,763 per pupil, $10,232 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.

The district: schools, scores and graduation →

Where the district’s money comes from
Local 25%State 67%Federal 8%

Washington districts overall: 27% local, 66% state, 8% federal.

Also serving Bucoda

Centralia School District · $17,813 per pupil

School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.

Elections · 2024 general election

Bucoda’s votes are counted by county

Washington reports official results by county and precinct, not by town, so there are no official results for Bucoda alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Thurston County’s results.

President · Thurston County’s results164,174 votes · results as certified
Kamala D HarrisKamala D HarrisDemocrat58.1%95,459 votes
Donald J TrumpDonald J TrumpRepublican37.8%62,135 votes

Others: 4.0% (6,580 votes).

Most votes in Thurston County: Kamala D Harris

Washington: Harris 57.2%, Trump 39.0%

The county’s page

100% of Bucoda lies in Thurston County. Every 2024 race in Thurston County is on the county’s page.

Thurston County’s 2024 results →
DemocratRepublicanLibertarianIndependent / other

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.

Who represents Bucoda

From town hall to Washington

Every level of government that speaks for Bucoda.

2024 results ↑
  1. 1
    Your townTown government
    Officials: bucoda.us ↗
  2. 2
    Washington HouseState representatives
    Andrew BarkisMatt Marshall
  3. 3
    Washington SenateState senator
    Jim McCune
  4. 4
    GovernorStatewide
    Bob Ferguson
  5. 5
    U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
    Marie Gluesenkamp Perez
  6. 6
    U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Washington
    Patty MurrayMaria Cantwell

Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.

Reach Bucoda’s government

The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.

The Handbook →
Official websitebucoda.us ↗

Questions about Bucoda’s government

How much does Bucoda spend per resident?

About $606 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2022, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $606 was less than 86% of 118 Washington cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.

What is the property tax rate in Bucoda?

Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,891 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.70% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.81% across Washington. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see bucoda.us.

Who runs Bucoda’s government?

See bucoda.us for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Bucoda yet.

How did Bucoda vote in 2024?

Washington counts votes by county and precinct, not by town, so there are no official results for Bucoda alone. Thurston County, where 100% of Bucoda lies, voted Harris 58.1%, Trump 37.8% for president; its page has every race.

How many people work for Bucoda?

1 full-time and 1 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $4,251 (about $51,012 a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.

Who represents Bucoda in the state legislature?

State Senate District 2 (Jim McCune) and State House District 2 (Andrew Barkis and Matt Marshall). The House district also covers six other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.

Ask neighbors about Bucoda’s government

Neighbors who’ve been to the meetings can help.

Town Square →
Ask neighbors

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 →