Photo: Famartin · CC BY-SA 4.0Charles Town spent more per resident in 2022 than 92% of similar cities
Charles Town’s town government spent $12.3 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2023, about $1,882 per resident. That is its newest year reported to the Census Bureau. Water and other utilities ($4.1 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Charles Town is run
Read from the town’s budget and official records.
$1,808 per resident in 2022: more than 92% of them
Charles Town’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,808 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 133 West Virginia cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $717, and the middle half spent $378–$1,090. Charles Town spent more than 92% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($4.9 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 →
West Virginia cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Charles Town itself left out).
About $1,882 per resident a year, or $5.16 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 46%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is up 13% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Charles Town 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: $1,808 · 2023: $1,882. Per resident it went from $1,808 to $1,882 (up 4%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 6,015 to 6,523.
full-time in March 2025, up from 28 in 2022. Both are Census estimates.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $2,213 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.59% 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 Charles Town’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 Charles Town’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Charles Town →
Who’s in charge in Charles Town
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Charles Town’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The town posts agendas and minutes on charlestownwv.us ↗.
One full-time town employee for every 198 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 2023 finance file (6,523).
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.
Jefferson County School District
Charles Town’s K–12 school district, shared with Bolivar, Harpers Ferry, Ranson corporation, Shepherdstown. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $15,294 per pupil, $8,544 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.
Charles Town’s votes are counted by county
West Virginia reports official results by county and precinct, not by town, so there are no official results for Charles Town alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Jefferson County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican56.8%16,573 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat41.0%11,967 votesOthers: 2.1% (616 votes).
Most votes in Jefferson County: Donald J Trump
West Virginia: Trump 70.0%, Harris 28.1%
100% of Charles Town lies in Jefferson County. Every 2024 race in Jefferson County is on the county’s page.
Jefferson 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 Charles Town.
- 1Your townTown governmentOfficials: charlestownwv.us ↗
- 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 Charles Town compares with the towns next door
Charles Town spent $1,808 per resident in 2022; the neighbor that reported 2022 spent $1,056. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Ranson corporation | $1,056 | $1,528 |
| Charles Town | $1,808 | $2,213 |
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 Charles Town’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Charles Town’s government
How much does Charles Town spend per resident?
About $1,882 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2023, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $1,808 was more than 92% of 133 West Virginia cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Charles Town?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $2,213 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.59% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.53% across West Virginia. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see charlestownwv.us.
Who runs Charles Town’s government?
See charlestownwv.us for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Charles Town yet.
How did Charles Town vote in 2024?
West Virginia counts votes by county and precinct, not by town, so there are no official results for Charles Town alone. Jefferson County, where 100% of Charles Town lies, voted Trump 56.8%, Harris 41.0% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Charles Town?
33 full-time and 20 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $236,996 (about $2.8M a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.
Who represents Charles Town in the state legislature?
State Senate District 16 (Jason Barrett and Patricia Rucker) and House of Delegates District 99 (Wayne Clark). Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Charles Town’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 →