Photo: LilGangstaBoy at English Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 3.0How is White Salmon run?
White Salmon’s city government spent $4.1 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, about $1,604 per resident. Water and other utilities ($2 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how White Salmon is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
About $1,604 per resident a year, or $4.39 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 28%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$1,284 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
White Salmon’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,284 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 $1,189, and the middle half spent $890–$1,504. White Salmon spent more than 62% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($903,000), 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; White Salmon itself left out).
Day-to-day spending is up 18% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years White Salmon 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: $1,284 · 2024: $1,604. Per resident it went from $1,284 to $1,604 (up 25%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 2,723 to 2,562.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $3,385 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.55% 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 White Salmon’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 White Salmon’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in White Salmon →
Who’s in charge in White Salmon
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
White Salmon’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on white-salmon.net ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 135 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 (2,562).
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.
White Salmon Valley School District
White Salmon’s K–12 school district, shared with Bingen. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $16,668 per pupil, $9,274 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.
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
White Salmon’s votes are counted by county
Washington reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for White Salmon alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Klickitat County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican52.8%7,178 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat43.5%5,917 votesOthers: 3.8% (512 votes).
Most votes in Klickitat County: Donald J Trump
Washington: Harris 57.2%, Trump 39.0%
100% of White Salmon lies in Klickitat County. Every 2024 race in Klickitat County is on the county’s page.
Klickitat 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 White Salmon.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: white-salmon.net ↗
- 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 White Salmon compares with the towns next door
White Salmon spent $1,284 per resident in 2022; the neighbor that reported 2022 spent $4,533. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Bingen | $4,533 | $1,995 |
| White Salmon | $1,284 | $3,385 |
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 White Salmon’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about White Salmon’s government
How much does White Salmon spend per resident?
About $1,604 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 $1,284 was more than 62% of 65 Washington cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in White Salmon?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $3,385 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.55% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.81% across Washington. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see white-salmon.net.
Who runs White Salmon’s government?
See white-salmon.net for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for White Salmon yet.
How did White Salmon vote in 2024?
Washington counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for White Salmon alone. Klickitat County, where 100% of White Salmon lies, voted Trump 52.8%, Harris 43.5% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for White Salmon?
19 full-time and 0 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $134,773 (about $1.6M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents White Salmon in the state legislature?
State Senate District 17 (Paul Harris) and State House District 17 (Dave Stuebe and Kevin Waters). The House district also covers seven other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about White Salmon’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 →