Photo: Quintin Soloviev · CC BY 4.0Morgantown spent more per resident in 2022 than 86% of similar cities
Morgantown’s city government spent $57.9 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, about $1,913 per resident. Water and other utilities ($12.9 million) and the airport ($3.6 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Morgantown is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$1,612 per resident in 2022: more than 86% of them
Morgantown’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,612 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 138 West Virginia cities that don’t run their own schools: the median was $725, and the middle half spent $386–$1,154. Morgantown spent more than 86% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($13.3 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 →
West Virginia cities that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Morgantown itself left out).
About $1,913 per resident a year, or $5.24 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 33%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is up 16% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Morgantown 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: $1,612 · 2023: $1,819 · 2024: $1,913.
full-time in March 2025, up from 436 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 $1,301 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.50% 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 Morgantown’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 Morgantown’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Morgantown →
Who’s in charge in Morgantown
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Morgantown’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on morgantownwv.gov ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 68 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 (30,277).
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.
Monongalia School District
Morgantown’s K–12 school district, shared with Blacksville, Granville, Star City, Westover. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $15,143 per pupil, $8,862 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.
Morgantown’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 Morgantown alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Monongalia County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican50.9%21,084 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat46.5%19,265 votesOthers: 2.7% (1,103 votes).
Most votes in Monongalia County: Donald J Trump
West Virginia: Trump 70.0%, Harris 28.1%
100% of Morgantown lies in Monongalia County. Every 2024 race in Monongalia County is on the county’s page.
Monongalia 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
Morgantown sends 5 representatives to the West Virginia House alone.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: morgantownwv.gov ↗
- 2West Virginia House of DelegatesMorgantown is split between 5 districts
- 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 Morgantown compares with the towns next door
Morgantown spent $1,612 per resident in 2022; the neighbor that reported 2022 spent $1,031. Towns that run more services spend more. 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 Morgantown’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Morgantown’s government
How much does Morgantown spend per resident?
About $1,913 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $1,612 was more than 86% of 138 West Virginia cities that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Morgantown?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,301 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.50% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.53% across West Virginia. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see morgantownwv.gov.
Who runs Morgantown’s government?
See morgantownwv.gov for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Morgantown yet.
How did Morgantown vote in 2024?
West Virginia counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Morgantown alone. Monongalia County, where 100% of Morgantown lies, voted Trump 50.9%, Harris 46.5% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Morgantown?
444 full-time and 102 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $2.7M (about $32.5M a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.
Who represents Morgantown in the state legislature?
Morgantown is split among 5 House of Delegates districts, so your address decides. The West Virginia Legislature’s lookup finds yours. Its State Senate district is District 13 (Joey Garcia and Mike Oliverio). Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Morgantown’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 →