Paden City spent less per resident in 2022 than 66% of similar cities
Paden City’s city government spent $1.1 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, about $450 per resident. Water and other utilities ($472,000) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Paden City is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$459 per resident in 2022: less than 66% of them
Paden City’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($459 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 114 West Virginia cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $658, and the middle half spent $334–$964. Paden City spent less than 66% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($18,000), as the Census Bureau counts them. Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →
West Virginia cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Paden City itself left out).
About $450 per resident a year, or $1.23 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 42%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is up 5% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Paden City 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: $459 · 2023: $429 · 2024: $450. Per resident it went from $459 to $450 (down 2%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 2,296 to 2,451.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $684 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.66% 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 Paden City’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 Paden City’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Paden City →
Who’s in charge in Paden City
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time city employee for every 136 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 (2,451).
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.
Wetzel County School District
Paden City’s K–12 school district, shared with Hundred, New Martinsville, Pine Grove, Smithfield. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $24,922 per pupil, $13,758 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.
Tyler County School District · $24,579 per pupil
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Paden City’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 Paden City alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Wetzel County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican76.5%4,718 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat21.0%1,294 votesOthers: 2.5% (156 votes).
Most votes in Wetzel County: Donald J Trump
West Virginia: Trump 70.0%, Harris 28.1%
68% of Paden City lies in Wetzel County; the rest in Tyler County. Every 2024 race in Wetzel County is on the county’s page.
Wetzel 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 Paden City.
- 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.
Reach Paden City’s government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about Paden City’s government
How much does Paden City spend per resident?
About $450 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 $459 was less than 66% of 114 West Virginia cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Paden City?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $684 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.66% 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 Paden City’s government?
We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Paden City yet.
How did Paden City vote in 2024?
West Virginia counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Paden City alone. Wetzel County, where 68% of Paden City lies, voted Trump 76.5%, Harris 21.0% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Paden City?
18 full-time and 14 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $59,235 (about $710,820 a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Paden City in the state legislature?
State Senate District 2 (Charles Clements and Chris Rose) and House of Delegates District 8 (Bill Bell). The House of Delegates district also covers three neighboring towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Paden City’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 →