Fireboat No.1 · Photo: Mike Lane · CC BY-SA 3.0Tacoma spent more per resident in 2022 than 96% of similar cities
Tacoma’s city government spent $580.7 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, about $2,618 per resident. Water and other utilities ($463.9 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Tacoma is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
Who’s in charge in Tacoma
From public records with a current term; a name is hidden the day its term ends.
Council members and agencies: cityoftacoma.org ↗
Tacoma’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on cityoftacoma.org ↗.
About $2,618 per resident a year, or $7.17 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 26%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$2,188 per resident in 2022: more than 96% of them
Tacoma’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($2,188 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. Tacoma spent more than 96% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($135.3 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; Tacoma itself left out).
Day-to-day spending is up 21% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Tacoma 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: $2,188 · 2023: $2,305 · 2024: $2,618.
full-time in March 2025, up from 3,605 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 $4,482 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.93% 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 Tacoma’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 Tacoma’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Tacoma →
One full-time city employee for every 55 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 (221,776).
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.
Tacoma Public Schools
Tacoma’s K–12 school district, shared with Ruston, Fircrest. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $19,619 per pupil, $10,822 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.
Fife Public Schools · $17,782 per pupil
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Tacoma’s votes are counted by county
Washington reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Tacoma 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 Tacoma 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
Tacoma sends 4 representatives to the Washington House alone.
- 1Your cityMayorAnders Ibsenas listed by Open States, October 9, 2026
- 2Washington HouseTacoma 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 Tacoma compares with the towns next door
Tacoma spent $2,188 per resident in 2022; the 4 neighbors that reported 2022 spent $415 to $2,378. 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 |
| Lakewood | $709 | $4,326 |
| Federal Way | $743 | $4,706 |
| Fife | $2,378 | $4,454 |
| Tacoma | $2,188 | $4,482 |
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 Tacoma’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Tacoma’s government
How much does Tacoma spend per resident?
About $2,618 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 $2,188 was more than 96% of 23 Washington cities of 100,000–249,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Tacoma?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $4,482 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.93% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.81% across Washington. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see cityoftacoma.org.
Who is the mayor of Tacoma?
Anders Ibsen, as listed by Open States (checked October 9, 2026). The council and agencies are listed on cityoftacoma.org.
How did Tacoma vote in 2024?
Washington counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Tacoma alone. Pierce County, where 100% of Tacoma lies, voted Harris 53.5%, Trump 42.8% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Tacoma?
4,052 full-time and 45 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $44.6M (about $535.4M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Tacoma in the state legislature?
Tacoma 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 Tacoma’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 →