How is Benwood run?
Benwood’s city government spent $2.5 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, about $2,045 per resident. Water and other utilities ($469,000) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Benwood is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
About $2,045 per resident a year, or $5.60 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: roads & transportation, at 26%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
No comparison or trend for Benwood yet
The fair comparison uses 2022, the last year the Census Bureau counted every government (later years are a sample), and Benwood’s 2022 figures are a Census estimate (it reported none of its 2022 dollars). It reported 2024 only (2022 and 2023 are estimates), so there is no trend yet either. The next full count is 2027.
How Town Hall compares budgets →full-time in March 2025, the same as 33 in 2022. Both are Census estimates.
The typical homeowner pays $394 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.53% of the home’s value, vs 0.53% across West Virginia.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Benwood’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. In a town this small the estimate has a wide margin.
Tax bills are one input to Benwood’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Benwood →
Who’s in charge in Benwood
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time city employee for every 37 residents
On the payroll in March 2025, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll (a Census estimate). Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (1,210).
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.
Marshall County School District
Benwood’s K–12 school district, shared with Cameron, Glen Dale, McMechen, Moundsville. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $20,265 per pupil, $11,605 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.
West Virginia districts overall: 36% local, 46% state, 18% federal.
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Benwood’s votes are counted by county
West Virginia reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Benwood alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Marshall County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican74.1%9,808 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat24.1%3,186 votesOthers: 1.8% (239 votes).
Most votes in Marshall County: Donald J Trump
West Virginia: Trump 70.0%, Harris 28.1%
100% of Benwood lies in Marshall County. Every 2024 race in Marshall County is on the county’s page.
Marshall 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 Benwood.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilLocal officials aren’t on record yet.
- 2West Virginia House of DelegatesState representatives
- 3West Virginia SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of West Virginia
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
How Benwood compares with the towns next door
Benwood’s 2022 figures are a Census estimate, so it isn’t placed among them. Neighbors that reported 2022 spent $927 to $3,223 per resident. 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 Benwood’s government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about Benwood’s government
How much does Benwood spend per resident?
About $2,045 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, as reported to the Census Bureau.
What is the property tax rate in Benwood?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $394 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.53% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.53% across West Virginia. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see the city’s assessor.
Who runs Benwood’s government?
We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Benwood yet.
How did Benwood vote in 2024?
West Virginia counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Benwood alone. Marshall County, where 100% of Benwood lies, voted Trump 74.1%, Harris 24.1% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Benwood?
33 full-time and 3 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $122,928 (about $1.5M a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.
Who represents Benwood in the state legislature?
State Senate District 2 (Charles Clements and Chris Rose) and House of Delegates District 6 (Jeff Stephens). The House of Delegates district also covers four other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Benwood’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 →