Photo: Quintin Soloviev · CC BY 4.0Spokane spent more per resident in 2022 than 83% of similar cities
Spokane’s city government spent $516.4 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, about $2,244 per resident. Water and other utilities ($61.8 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Spokane is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
Who’s in charge in Spokane
From public records with a current term; a name is hidden the day its term ends.
Council members and agencies: spokanecity.org ↗
Spokane’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on spokanecity.org ↗.
About $2,244 per resident a year, or $6.15 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 30%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$1,802 per resident in 2022: more than 83% of them
Spokane’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,802 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 23 Washington cities of 100,000–249,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,182, and the middle half spent $896–$1,690. Spokane spent more than 83% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($123.7 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 100,000–249,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Spokane itself left out).
Day-to-day spending is up 29% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Spokane 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: $1,802 · 2023: $1,995 · 2024: $2,244.
full-time in March 2025, up from 2,135 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 $2,947 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.81% 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 Spokane’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 Spokane’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Spokane →
One full-time city employee for every 102 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 (230,160).
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.
Spokane Public Schools
Spokane’s K–12 school district. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $19,051 per pupil, $11,244 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.
Cheney School District · $15,239 per pupil
Mead School District · $15,808 per pupil
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Spokane’s votes are counted by county
Washington reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Spokane alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Spokane County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican50.6%145,338 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat45.7%131,163 votesOthers: 3.7% (10,581 votes).
Most votes in Spokane County: Donald J Trump
Washington: Harris 57.2%, Trump 39.0%
100% of Spokane lies in Spokane County. Every 2024 race in Spokane County is on the county’s page.
Spokane 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
Spokane sends 4 representatives to the Washington House alone.
- 1Your cityMayorLisa Brownas listed by Open States, October 9, 2026
- 2Washington HouseSpokane 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 Spokane compares with the towns next door
Spokane spent $1,802 per resident in 2022; the 2 neighbors that reported 2022 spent $461 to $1,371. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Spokane Valley | $461 | $3,344 |
| Airway Heights | $1,371 | $2,358 |
| Spokane | $1,802 | $2,947 |
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 Spokane’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Spokane’s government
How much does Spokane spend per resident?
About $2,244 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 $1,802 was more than 83% of 23 Washington cities of 100,000–249,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Spokane?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $2,947 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.81% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.81% across Washington. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see spokanecity.org.
Who is the mayor of Spokane?
Lisa Brown, as listed by Open States (checked October 9, 2026). The council and agencies are listed on spokanecity.org.
How did Spokane vote in 2024?
Washington counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Spokane alone. Spokane County, where 100% of Spokane lies, voted Trump 50.6%, Harris 45.7% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Spokane?
2,265 full-time and 216 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $21.6M (about $259.7M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Spokane in the state legislature?
Spokane 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 Spokane’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 →