Photo: Williamborg · CC BY-SA 3.0How is Dayton run?
Dayton’s city government spent $2.2 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2022, about $904 per resident. Water and other utilities ($788,000) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Dayton is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
About $904 per resident a year, or $2.48 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 28%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$904 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Dayton’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($904 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 $713–$1,357. Dayton spent less than 58% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($623,000), as the Census Bureau counts them. Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →
Washington cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Dayton itself left out).
No trend yet
Dayton reported only 2022 to the Census Bureau, so there is no trend yet.
The typical homeowner pays $1,832 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.75% 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 Dayton’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 Dayton’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Dayton →
Who’s in charge in Dayton
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Dayton’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on daytonwa.com ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 177 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 2022 finance file (2,477).
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.
Dayton School District
Dayton’s K–12 school district. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $21,230 per pupil, $12,222 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.
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Dayton’s votes are counted by county
Washington reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Dayton alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Columbia County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican69.9%1,737 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat26.6%661 votesOthers: 3.5% (87 votes).
Most votes in Columbia County: Donald J Trump
Washington: Harris 57.2%, Trump 39.0%
100% of Dayton lies in Columbia County. Every 2024 race in Columbia County is on the county’s page.
Columbia 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 Dayton.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: daytonwa.com ↗
- 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.
Reach Dayton’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Dayton’s government
How much does Dayton spend per resident?
About $904 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 $904 was less than 58% of 118 Washington cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Dayton?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,832 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.75% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.81% across Washington. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see daytonwa.com.
Who runs Dayton’s government?
See daytonwa.com for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Dayton yet.
How did Dayton vote in 2024?
Washington counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Dayton alone. Columbia County, where 100% of Dayton lies, voted Trump 69.9%, Harris 26.6% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Dayton?
14 full-time and 10 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $92,681 (about $1.1M a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.
Who represents Dayton in the state legislature?
State Senate District 9 (Mark Schoesler) and State House District 9 (Joe Schmick and Mary Dye). The House district also covers 39 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Dayton’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 →