Photo: Steven Pavlov · CC BY-SA 3.0How is Pacific run?
Pacific’s city government spent $9.7 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, about $1,377 per resident. Water and other utilities ($1.3 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Pacific is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
About $1,377 per resident a year, or $3.77 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 36%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$1,138 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Pacific’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,138 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 65 Washington cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,191, and the middle half spent $890–$1,504. Pacific spent less than 55% of them.
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 →
Washington cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Pacific itself left out).
Day-to-day spending is up 19% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Pacific 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: $1,138 · 2024: $1,377.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $5,011 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.02% 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 Pacific’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 Pacific’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Pacific →
Who’s in charge in Pacific
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Pacific’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on pacificwa.gov ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 176 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 (7,022).
By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2022
The Census reports one month’s payroll (March); yearly figures are that month × 12, an estimate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.
Auburn School District
Pacific’s K–12 school district, shared with Algona, Auburn. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $18,774 per pupil, $10,191 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.
Sumner School District · $16,190 per pupil
Fife Public Schools · $17,782 per pupil
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Pacific’s votes are counted by county
Washington reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Pacific alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are King County’s results.
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat73.6%832,606 votes
Donald J TrumpRepublican22.3%252,193 votesOthers: 4.0% (45,703 votes).
Most votes in King County: Kamala D Harris
Washington: Harris 57.2%, Trump 39.0%
99% of Pacific lies in King County; the rest in Pierce County. Every 2024 race in King County is on the county’s page.
King 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
Pacific sends 4 representatives to the Washington House alone.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: pacificwa.gov ↗
- 2Washington HousePacific is split between 2 districts
- 3Washington SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseSplit between districts
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Washington
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
How Pacific compares with the towns next door
Pacific spent $1,138 per resident in 2022; the 4 neighbors that reported 2022 spent $812 to $1,880. 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 Pacific’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Pacific’s government
How much does Pacific spend per resident?
About $1,377 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 $1,138 was less than 55% of 65 Washington cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Pacific?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $5,011 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.02% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.81% across Washington. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see pacificwa.gov.
Who runs Pacific’s government?
See pacificwa.gov for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Pacific yet.
How did Pacific vote in 2024?
Washington counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Pacific alone. King County, where 99% of Pacific lies, voted Harris 73.6%, Trump 22.3% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Pacific?
40 full-time and 0 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $251,293 (about $3.0M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Pacific in the state legislature?
Pacific 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 Pacific’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 →