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Pacific Coast Company House No. 75Pacific Coast Company House No. 75 · Photo: Jon Roanhaus · CC BY-SA 3.0
Town Hall · Newcastle

Newcastle spent less per resident in 2022 than 88% of similar cities

Newcastle’s city government spent $13 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, about $1,010 per resident.

Day-to-day spending, 2024
$13.0M
year to December 31, 2024
Per resident, 2024
$1,010
In 2022: $817, less than 88% of 40 similar cities
Long-term debt
$5.0M
end of 2024, reported
City staff, 2022
25
full-time · 7 part-time · March payroll $204,468
Typical tax bill
$9,967
0.83% of home value · WA 0.81%

What stands out about how Newcastle is run

Read from the city’s budget and official records.

Compared with similar places

$817 per resident in 2022: less than 88% of them

Newcastle’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($817 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 $1,136, and the middle half spent $977–$1,528. Newcastle spent less than 88% of them.

Middle half of the group, $977–$1,528Median $1,136Newcastle

Includes sewer and trash ($874,000), 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
40

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

Your share of the 2024 budget

About $1,010 per resident a year, or $2.77 a day

Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: administration & buildings, at 24%.

Where the money comes from
Property taxes 36%Other taxes & licenses 18%Fees & charges 16%Sales taxes 15%Interest, fines & other 7%From the state 6%From other local governments 2%
Not in the receipt.Building projects $3.1 million; interest on debt $96,000; payments to other governments $393,000. With these, the whole budget was $16.7 million.
Over the years

Day-to-day spending is up 24% since 2022

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

Day-to-day spending by fiscal year

2022$10.5 million
2024$13 million

Per resident: 2022: $817 · 2024: $1,010.

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 $9,967 a year

Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.83% of the home’s value, vs 0.81% across Washington.

What homes cost →

Typical yearly bill next door and statewide

Newcastle$9,967
Bellevue$9,423
Renton$5,969
Washington$4,556
$9,967
typical bill a year
0.83%
effective rate
$1,205,600
typical home value (Census)
Your own bill

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

Who runs it

Who’s in charge in Newcastle

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

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

One full-time city employee for every 516 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 (12,902).

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

Administration & buildings9 + 7 pt
Roads & transportation8
Housing & development5
Parks & libraries1
Sewer & trash1
Other1
25
full-time
7
part-time
$204,468
payroll for March 2022
$2.5M
a year, estimated (March × 12)
$96,400
average full-time pay, before benefits (March × 12)
Compared, 2022.Newcastle had 1.9 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 5.8: Newcastle had fewer than 94% 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

Issaquah School District

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

Schools in Newcastle →
$18,047
per pupil · WA $18,444
19,452
students
$636.9 million
long-term debt

Of the $18,047 per pupil, $10,843 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 41%State 57%Federal 2%

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

Also serving Newcastle

Renton School District · $19,788 per pupil

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

Elections · 2024 general election

Newcastle’s votes are counted by county

Washington reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Newcastle 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 Newcastle 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 Newcastle

From town hall to Washington

Every level of government that speaks for Newcastle.

2024 results ↑
  1. 1
    Your cityMayor & council
    Local officials aren’t on record yet.
  2. 2
    Washington HouseState representatives
  3. 3
    Washington SenateState senator
  4. 4
    GovernorStatewide
  5. 5
    U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
  6. 6
    U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Washington

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

Next door

How Newcastle compares with the towns next door

Newcastle spent $817 per resident in 2022; the 2 neighbors that reported 2022 spent $1,708 to $2,081. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.

Spends the leastSpends the mostEstimate or no figures
TownDay-to-day, per resident (2022)Tax bill
Renton$1,708$5,969
Bellevue$2,081$9,423
Newcastle$817$9,967

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 Newcastle’s government

Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.

The Handbook →

Questions about Newcastle’s government

How much does Newcastle spend per resident?

About $1,010 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 $817 was less than 88% of 40 Washington cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools.

What is the property tax rate in Newcastle?

Homeowners report a typical bill of $9,967 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.83% 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 Newcastle’s government?

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

How did Newcastle vote in 2024?

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

How many people work for Newcastle?

25 full-time and 7 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $204,468 (about $2.5M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.

Who represents Newcastle in the state legislature?

State Senate District 41 (Lisa Wellman) and State House District 41 (Janice Zahn and My-Linh Thai). The House district also covers five other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.

Ask neighbors about Newcastle’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 →