Photo: Antony-22 · CC BY-SA 4.0How is Petersburg run?
Petersburg’s city government spent $2 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, about $890 per resident. Water and other utilities ($725,000) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Petersburg is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
About $890 per resident a year, or $2.44 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 41%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$711 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Petersburg’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($711 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 $722, and the middle half spent $378–$1,123. Petersburg spent less than 52% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($829,000), 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 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Petersburg itself left out).
Day-to-day spending is up 6% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Petersburg 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: $711 · 2024: $890. Per resident it went from $711 to $890 (up 25%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 2,683 to 2,277.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $659 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 Petersburg’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 Petersburg’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Petersburg →
Who’s in charge in Petersburg
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time city employee for every 114 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 (2,277).
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.
Grant County School District
Petersburg’s K–12 school district, shared with Bayard. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $13,694 per pupil, $7,489 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.
Petersburg’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 Petersburg alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Grant County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican88.9%4,949 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat9.9%552 votesOthers: 1.2% (67 votes).
Most votes in Grant County: Donald J Trump
West Virginia: Trump 70.0%, Harris 28.1%
100% of Petersburg lies in Grant County. Every 2024 race in Grant County is on the county’s page.
Grant 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 Petersburg.
- 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 Petersburg’s government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about Petersburg’s government
How much does Petersburg spend per resident?
About $890 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 $711 was less than 52% of 133 West Virginia cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Petersburg?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $659 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 Petersburg’s government?
We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Petersburg yet.
How did Petersburg vote in 2024?
West Virginia counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Petersburg alone. Grant County, where 100% of Petersburg lies, voted Trump 88.9%, Harris 9.9% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Petersburg?
20 full-time and 7 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $64,951 (about $779,412 a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Petersburg in the state legislature?
State Senate District 14 (Jay Taylor and Randy Smith) and House of Delegates District 85 (John Paul Hott). The House of Delegates district also covers six other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Petersburg’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 →