Photo: Squarestate7 · CC BY-SA 3.0Walla Walla spent more per resident in 2022 than 100% of similar cities
Walla Walla’s city government spent $73.1 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, about $2,181 per resident. Water and other utilities ($9.8 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Walla Walla is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$1,892 per resident in 2022: more than 100% of them
Walla Walla’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,892 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 18 Washington cities of 25,000–49,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,353, and the middle half spent $986–$1,578. Walla Walla spent more than 100% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($20.5 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 25,000–49,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Walla Walla itself left out).
About $2,181 per resident a year, or $5.98 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 31%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is up 17% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Walla Walla 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: $1,892 · 2024: $2,181.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $3,183 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 Walla Walla’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 Walla Walla’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Walla Walla →
Who’s in charge in Walla Walla
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Walla Walla’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on wallawallawa.gov ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 109 residents
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll (a Census estimate). Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (33,492).
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.
Walla Walla Public Schools
Walla Walla’s K–12 school district. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $17,616 per pupil, $9,859 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.
College Place School District · $17,578 per pupil
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Walla Walla’s votes are counted by county
Washington reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Walla Walla alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Walla Walla County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican52.3%15,476 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat44.3%13,106 votesOthers: 3.3% (986 votes).
Most votes in Walla Walla County: Donald J Trump
Washington: Harris 57.2%, Trump 39.0%
100% of Walla Walla lies in Walla Walla County. Every 2024 race in Walla Walla County is on the county’s page.
Walla Walla 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 Walla Walla.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: wallawallawa.gov ↗
- 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 Walla Walla compares with the towns next door
Walla Walla spent $1,892 per resident in 2022; the neighbor that reported 2022 spent $850. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| College Place | $850 | $3,244 |
| Walla Walla | $1,892 | $3,183 |
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 Walla Walla’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Walla Walla’s government
How much does Walla Walla spend per resident?
About $2,181 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 $1,892 was more than 100% of 18 Washington cities of 25,000–49,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Walla Walla?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $3,183 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 wallawallawa.gov.
Who runs Walla Walla’s government?
See wallawallawa.gov for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Walla Walla yet.
How did Walla Walla vote in 2024?
Washington counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Walla Walla alone. Walla Walla County, where 100% of Walla Walla lies, voted Trump 52.3%, Harris 44.3% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Walla Walla?
308 full-time and 11 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $2.3M (about $27.3M a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.
Who represents Walla Walla in the state legislature?
State Senate District 16 (Perry Dozier) and State House District 16 (Mark Klicker and Skyler Rude). The House district also covers 10 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Walla Walla’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 →