Photo: OceanLoop · CC BY-SA 4.0Olympia spent more per resident in 2022 than 100% of similar cities
Olympia’s city government spent $145.6 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, about $2,616 per resident. Water and other utilities ($15.1 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Olympia is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
Who’s in charge in Olympia
From public records with a current term; a name is hidden the day its term ends.
Council members and agencies: olympiawa.gov ↗
Olympia’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on olympiawa.gov ↗.
About $2,616 per resident a year, or $7.17 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 28%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$2,381 per resident in 2022: more than 100% of them
Olympia’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($2,381 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 $1,121, and the middle half spent $809–$1,530. Olympia spent more than 100% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($36.8 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 →
Washington cities of 50,000–99,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Olympia itself left out).
Day-to-day spending is up 14% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Olympia 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: $2,381 · 2023: $2,562 · 2024: $2,616.
full-time in March 2025, up from 572 in 2022.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $4,396 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.90% 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 Olympia’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 Olympia’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Olympia →
One full-time city employee for every 90 residents
On the payroll in March 2025, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (55,669).
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.
Olympia School District
Olympia’s K–12 school district. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $17,405 per pupil, $10,542 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.
North Thurston Public Schools · $17,370 per pupil
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Olympia’s votes are counted by county
Washington reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Olympia alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Thurston County’s results.
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat58.1%95,459 votes
Donald J TrumpRepublican37.8%62,135 votesOthers: 4.0% (6,580 votes).
Most votes in Thurston County: Kamala D Harris
Washington: Harris 57.2%, Trump 39.0%
100% of Olympia lies in Thurston County. Every 2024 race in Thurston County is on the county’s page.
Thurston 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 Olympia.
- 1Your cityMayorDontae Payneas listed by Open States, October 9, 2026
- 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.
How Olympia compares with the towns next door
Olympia spent $2,381 per resident in 2022; the 2 neighbors that reported 2022 spent $1,147 to $1,865. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
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 Olympia’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Olympia’s government
How much does Olympia spend per resident?
About $2,616 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 $2,381 was more than 100% of 15 Washington cities of 50,000–99,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Olympia?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $4,396 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.90% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.81% across Washington. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see olympiawa.gov.
Who is the mayor of Olympia?
Dontae Payne, as listed by Open States (checked October 9, 2026). The council and agencies are listed on olympiawa.gov.
How did Olympia vote in 2024?
Washington counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Olympia alone. Thurston County, where 100% of Olympia lies, voted Harris 58.1%, Trump 37.8% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Olympia?
616 full-time and 46 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $6.3M (about $75.1M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Olympia in the state legislature?
State Senate District 22 (Jess Bateman) and State House District 22 (Beth Doglio and Lisa Parshley). The House district also covers two neighboring towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Olympia’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 →