Photo: ECTran71 · CC BY-SA 4.0Lakewood spent less per resident in 2022 than 93% of similar cities
Lakewood’s city government spent $55.4 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, about $885 per resident.
What stands out about how Lakewood is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$709 per resident in 2022: less than 93% of them
Lakewood’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($709 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 15 Washington cities of 50,000–99,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,147, and the middle half spent $896–$1,638. Lakewood spent less than 93% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($2.5 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 50,000–99,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Lakewood itself left out).
About $885 per resident a year, or $2.42 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 58%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is up 28% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Lakewood 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: $709 · 2023: $774 · 2024: $885.
full-time in March 2025, up from 224 in 2022. Both are Census estimates.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $4,326 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.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Lakewood’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 Lakewood’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Lakewood →
Who’s in charge in Lakewood
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Lakewood’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on cityoflakewood.us ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 262 residents
On the payroll in March 2025, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll (a Census estimate). Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (62,572).
By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2025
The Census reports one month’s payroll (March); yearly figures are that month × 12, an estimate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.
Clover Park School District
Lakewood’s K–12 school district. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $20,525 per pupil, $10,676 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.
Steilacoom Historical School District · $16,713 per pupil
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Lakewood’s votes are counted by county
Washington reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Lakewood alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Pierce County’s results.
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat53.5%235,151 votes
Donald J TrumpRepublican42.8%188,148 votesOthers: 3.7% (16,216 votes).
Most votes in Pierce County: Kamala D Harris
Washington: Harris 57.2%, Trump 39.0%
100% of Lakewood lies in Pierce County. Every 2024 race in Pierce County is on the county’s page.
Pierce 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
Lakewood sends 4 representatives to the Washington House alone.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: cityoflakewood.us ↗
- 2Washington HouseLakewood is split between 2 districts
- 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 Lakewood compares with the towns next door
Lakewood spent $709 per resident in 2022; the 3 neighbors that reported 2022 spent $415 to $2,188. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| University Place | $415 | $6,162 |
| Steilacoom | $1,342 | $4,616 |
| Tacoma | $2,188 | $4,482 |
| Lakewood | $709 | $4,326 |
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 Lakewood’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Lakewood’s government
How much does Lakewood spend per resident?
About $885 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 $709 was less than 93% of 15 Washington cities of 50,000–99,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Lakewood?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $4,326 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 cityoflakewood.us.
Who runs Lakewood’s government?
See cityoflakewood.us for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Lakewood yet.
How did Lakewood vote in 2024?
Washington counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Lakewood alone. Pierce County, where 100% of Lakewood lies, voted Harris 53.5%, Trump 42.8% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Lakewood?
239 full-time and 13 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $2.5M (about $30.3M a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.
Who represents Lakewood in the state legislature?
Lakewood 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.
Ask neighbors about Lakewood’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 →