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Town Hall · Des Moines

Des Moines spent less per resident in 2022 than 72% of similar cities

Des Moines’ city government spent $39.2 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, about $1,209 per resident.

Next public meeting

City Council Committee of the Whole and Study Session

5:00 pm · Des Moines City Hall, 21630 11th Avenue S, Suite C

All meetings →
Day-to-day spending, 2024
$39.2M
year to December 31, 2024
Per resident, 2024
$1,209
In 2022: $1,011, less than 72% of 18 similar cities
Long-term debt
$40.3M
end of 2024, reported
City staff, 2022
138
full-time · 18 part-time · March payroll $1.2M
Typical tax bill
$5,640
0.94% of home value · WA 0.81%

What stands out about how Des Moines is run

Read from the city’s budget, meetings and official records.

Agendas posted online6 upcoming meetings posted, with agendas.Spends less than most similar citiesIn 2022: $1,011 per resident, less than 72% of 18 similar cities.A shared school districtShares Highline School District with 3 other towns.Split between districts2 State House districts cover Des Moines; your street decides yours.
★ What stands out · Meetings

6 upcoming meetings at town hall

From Des Moines’ own agenda portal, checked daily. Agendas can change up to the meeting, so check before you go.

Recent meetings

Go in person

Most meetings are open to the public, and many have a public comment period at the start.

Agenda portal ↗
Your share of the 2024 budget

About $1,209 per resident a year, or $3.31 a day

Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 32%.

Where the money comes from
Fees & charges 32%Sales taxes 29%Property taxes 12%Other taxes & licenses 11%Interest, fines & other 8%From the state 6%From other local governments 1%From the federal government <1%
Not in the receipt.Building projects $4.3 million; interest on debt $352,000. With these, the whole budget was $43.8 million.
Compared with similar places

$1,011 per resident in 2022: less than 72% of them

Des Moines’ day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,011 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 18 Washington cities of 25,000–49,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,450, and the middle half spent $1,036–$1,615. Des Moines spent less than 72% of them.

Middle half of the group, $1,036–$1,615Median $1,450Des Moines

Includes sewer and trash ($2.8 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 →

The group
18

Washington cities of 25,000–49,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Des Moines itself left out).

Over the years

Day-to-day spending is up 20% since 2022

Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Des Moines reported to the Census Bureau. Prices rose too: about 4% a year in 2022–2024.

Day-to-day spending by fiscal year

2022$32.7 million
2024$39.2 million

Per resident: 2022: $1,011 · 2024: $1,209.

Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.

Property tax

The typical homeowner pays $5,640 a year

Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.94% of the home’s value, vs 0.81% across Washington.

What homes cost →

Typical yearly bill next door and statewide

Normandy Park$10,000+
Burien$6,004
Des Moines$5,640
Kent$5,446
SeaTac$5,104
Federal Way$4,706
Washington$4,556
$5,640
typical bill a year
0.94%
effective rate
$597,000
typical home value (Census)
Your own bill

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

Who runs it

Who’s in charge in Des Moines

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

Check Des Moines’ own website for current officialsWe name an official only when a public source lists a current term. None does for Des Moines yet.
Who works for Des Moines

One full-time city employee for every 235 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 (32,408).

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

Police45
Administration & buildings26 + 4 pt
Parks & libraries20 + 10 pt
Courts, inspections & corrections14 + 4 pt
Roads & transportation15
Other18
138
full-time
18
part-time
$1.2M
payroll for March 2022
$14.7M
a year, estimated (March × 12)
$103,100
average full-time pay, before benefits (March × 12)
30
sworn police officers
Compared, 2022.Des Moines had 4.3 full-time staff per 1,000 residents in March 2022. The median for the 13 of the 18 Washington cities of 25,000–49,999 that don’t run their own schools that reported 2022 staff was 6.3: Des Moines had fewer than 77% 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

Highline School District

Des Moines’ K–12 school district, shared with Normandy Park, Burien, SeaTac. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.

Schools in Des Moines →
$21,280
per pupil · WA $18,444
17,823
students
$550 million
long-term debt

Of the $21,280 per pupil, $12,300 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 31%State 58%Federal 10%

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

Also serving Des Moines

Federal Way School District · $18,682 per pupil

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

Elections · 2024 general election

Des Moines’ votes are counted by county

Washington reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Des Moines alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are King County’s results.

President · King County’s results1,130,502 votes · results as certified
Kamala D HarrisKamala D HarrisDemocrat73.6%832,606 votes
Donald J TrumpDonald J TrumpRepublican22.3%252,193 votes

Others: 4.0% (45,703 votes).

Most votes in King County: Kamala D Harris

Washington: Harris 57.2%, Trump 39.0%

The county’s page

100% of Des Moines lies in King County. Every 2024 race in King County is on the county’s page.

King 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 Des Moines

From town hall to Washington

Des Moines sends 4 representatives to the Washington House alone.

2024 results ↑
  1. 1
    Your cityMayor & council
    Local officials aren’t on record yet.
  2. 2
    Washington HouseDes Moines is split between 2 districts
    Edwin ObrasMia GregersonJamila TaylorKristine Reeves
  3. 3
    Washington SenateState senator
    Tina OrwallClaire Wilson
  4. 4
    GovernorStatewide
    Bob Ferguson
  5. 5
    U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
    Adam Smith
  6. 6
    U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Washington
    Patty MurrayMaria Cantwell
Find your state legislators by address ↗

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

Next door

How Des Moines compares with the towns next door

Des Moines spent $1,011 per resident in 2022; the 5 neighbors that reported 2022 spent $601 to $1,705. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.

Federal Way: $743 per resident (2022)Kent: $1,251 per resident (2022)SeaTac: $1,705 per resident (2022)Normandy Park: $840 per resident (2022)Burien: $601 per resident (2022)Federal WayKentSeaTacNormandy ParkBurienDes Moines
Spends the leastSpends the mostEstimate or no figures
TownDay-to-day, per resident (2022)Tax bill
Burien$601$6,004
Federal Way$743$4,706
Normandy Park$840$10,000+
Kent$1,251$5,446
SeaTac$1,705$5,104
Des Moines$1,011$5,640

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 Des Moines’ government

Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.

The Handbook →

Questions about Des Moines’ government

How much does Des Moines spend per resident?

About $1,209 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 $1,011 was less than 72% of 18 Washington cities of 25,000–49,999 that don’t run their own schools.

What is the property tax rate in Des Moines?

Homeowners report a typical bill of $5,640 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.94% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.81% across Washington. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see the city’s assessor.

Who runs Des Moines’ government?

We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Des Moines yet.

How did Des Moines vote in 2024?

Washington counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Des Moines alone. King County, where 100% of Des Moines lies, voted Harris 73.6%, Trump 22.3% for president; its page has every race.

How many people work for Des Moines?

138 full-time and 18 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $1.2M (about $14.7M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.

Who represents Des Moines in the state legislature?

Des Moines is split among 2 State House districts and 2 State Senate districts, so your address decides. The Washington Legislature’s lookup finds yours. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.

When is the next public meeting in Des Moines?

The next posted meeting is City Council Committee of the Whole and Study Session on Thursday, November 5, at 5:00 pm in Des Moines City Hall, 21630 11th Avenue S, Suite C, from the city’s own agenda portal.

Ask neighbors about Des Moines’ 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 →