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Gig HarborPhoto: Ken Lund from Reno, NV, USA · CC BY-SA 2.0
Town Hall · Gig Harbor

Gig Harbor spent more per resident in 2022 than 75% of similar cities

Gig Harbor’s city government spent $20.3 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2023, about $1,667 per resident. Water and other utilities ($1.8 million) are counted separately.

Town website
Next public meeting

Civil Service Commission

3:00 pm

All meetings →
Day-to-day spending, 2023
$20.3M
year to December 31, 2023
Per resident, 2023
$1,667
In 2022: $1,527, more than 75% of 40 similar cities
Long-term debt
$23.6M
end of 2023, reported
City staff, 2022
102
full-time · 10 part-time · March payroll $790,344
Typical tax bill
$5,199
0.68% of home value · WA 0.81%

What stands out about how Gig Harbor is run

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

Agendas posted online6 upcoming meetings posted, with agendas.Spends more than most similar citiesIn 2022: $1,527 per resident, more than 75% of 40 similar cities.Runs its own water & sewer24% of day-to-day spending goes to water, sewer and trash (2023).
★ What stands out · Meetings

6 upcoming meetings at town hall

From Gig Harbor’s 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 2023 budget

About $1,667 per resident a year, or $4.57 a day

Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: roads & transportation, at 23%.

Where the money comes from
Sales taxes 42%Fees & charges 20%Property taxes 9%Other taxes & licenses 8%Utility sales 7%Interest, fines & other 7%From the state 7%From other local governments <1%From the federal government <1%
Not in the receipt.Building projects $11 million; interest on debt $1 million. With these and the enterprises, the whole budget was $34.1 million.
Compared with similar places

$1,527 per resident in 2022: more than 75% of them

Gig Harbor’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,527 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–$1,515. Gig Harbor spent more than 75% of them.

Middle half of the group, $944–$1,515Median $1,128Gig Harbor

Includes sewer and trash ($3.2 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
40

Washington cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Gig Harbor itself left out).

Over the years

Day-to-day spending is up 22% since 2022

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

Day-to-day spending by fiscal year

2022$16.6 million
2023$20.3 million

Per resident: 2022: $1,527 · 2023: $1,667. Per resident it went from $1,527 to $1,667 (up 9%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 10,873 to 12,181.

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 $5,199 a year

Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.68% of the home’s value, vs 0.81% across Washington.

What homes cost →

Typical yearly bill next door and statewide

Canterwood$7,202
Rosedale$6,856
Wollochet$6,684
Maplewood$6,327
Artondale$6,289
Gig Harbor$5,199
Washington$4,556
Purdy$3,471
$5,199
typical bill a year
0.68%
effective rate
$767,100
typical home value (Census)
Your own bill

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

Who runs it

Who’s in charge in Gig Harbor

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

See cityofgigharbor.net for Gig Harbor’s current officialsWe name an official only when a public source lists a current term. None does for Gig Harbor yet.cityofgigharbor.net ↗
Who works for Gig Harbor

One full-time city employee for every 119 residents

On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2023 finance file (12,181).

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

Administration & buildings22 + 8 pt
Police22
Roads & transportation10
Sewer & trash9
Parks & libraries6
Courts, inspections & corrections3 + 1 pt
Water & other utilities3
Other27 + 1 pt
102
full-time
10
part-time
$790,344
payroll for March 2022
$9.5M
a year, estimated (March × 12)
$91,500
average full-time pay, before benefits (March × 12)
20
sworn police officers
Compared, 2022.Gig Harbor had 9.4 full-time staff per 1,000 residents in March 2022. The median for the 32 of the 40 Washington cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools that reported 2022 staff was 5.6: Gig Harbor had more than 84% 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

Peninsula School District

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

Schools in Gig Harbor →
$17,222
per pupil · WA $18,444
9,069
students
$144.8 million
long-term debt

Of the $17,222 per pupil, $9,453 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 27%State 69%Federal 4%

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

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

Elections · 2024 general election

Gig Harbor’s votes are counted by county

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

President · Pierce County’s results439,515 votes · results as certified
Kamala D HarrisKamala D HarrisDemocrat53.5%235,151 votes
Donald J TrumpDonald J TrumpRepublican42.8%188,148 votes

Others: 3.7% (16,216 votes).

Most votes in Pierce County: Kamala D Harris

Washington: Harris 57.2%, Trump 39.0%

The county’s page

100% of Gig Harbor lies in Pierce County. Every 2024 race in Pierce County is on the county’s page.

Pierce 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 Gig Harbor

From town hall to Washington

Every level of government that speaks for Gig Harbor.

2024 results ↑
  1. 1
    Your cityMayor & council
    Officials: cityofgigharbor.net ↗
  2. 2
    Washington HouseState representatives
    Adison RichardsMichelle Valdez
  3. 3
    Washington SenateState senator
    Deb Krishnadasan
  4. 4
    GovernorStatewide
    Bob Ferguson
  5. 5
    U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
    Emily Randall
  6. 6
    U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Washington
    Patty MurrayMaria Cantwell

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

Next door

How Gig Harbor compares with the towns next door

Gig Harbor spent $1,527 per resident in 2022. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.

Maplewood: unincorporated, no town budgetRosedale: unincorporated, no town budgetWollochet: unincorporated, no town budgetCanterwood: unincorporated, no town budgetArtondale: unincorporated, no town budgetPurdy: unincorporated, no town budgetMaplewoodRosedaleWollochetCanterwoodArtondalePurdyGig Harbor
Spends the leastSpends the mostEstimate or no figures
TownDay-to-day, per resident (2022)Tax bill
Gig Harbor$1,527$5,199

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 Gig Harbor’s government

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

The Handbook →
Official websitecityofgigharbor.net ↗

Questions about Gig Harbor’s government

How much does Gig Harbor spend per resident?

About $1,667 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2023, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $1,527 was more than 75% of 40 Washington cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools.

What is the property tax rate in Gig Harbor?

Homeowners report a typical bill of $5,199 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.68% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.81% across Washington. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see cityofgigharbor.net.

Who runs Gig Harbor’s government?

See cityofgigharbor.net for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Gig Harbor yet.

How did Gig Harbor vote in 2024?

Washington counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Gig Harbor alone. Pierce County, where 100% of Gig Harbor lies, voted Harris 53.5%, Trump 42.8% for president; its page has every race.

How many people work for Gig Harbor?

102 full-time and 10 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $790,344 (about $9.5M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.

Who represents Gig Harbor in the state legislature?

State Senate District 26 (Deb Krishnadasan) and State House District 26 (Adison Richards and Michelle Valdez). The House district also covers two neighboring towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.

When is the next public meeting in Gig Harbor?

The next posted meeting is Civil Service Commission on Thursday, November 5, at 3:00 pm, from the city’s own agenda portal.

Ask neighbors about Gig Harbor’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 →