Photo: Magnolia677 · CC BY-SA 4.0Smithers spent less per resident in 2022 than 79% of similar cities
Smithers’ city government spent $228,000 on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2022, about $314 per resident.
What stands out about how Smithers is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$314 per resident in 2022: less than 79% of them
Smithers’ day-to-day spending in 2022 ($314 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 $352–$964. Smithers spent less than 79% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($31,000), 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; Smithers itself left out).
About $314 per resident a year, or $0.86 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 66%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
No trend yet
Smithers reported only 2022 to the Census Bureau, so there is no trend yet.
The typical homeowner pays $436 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.57% 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 Smithers’ 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 Smithers’ Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Smithers →
Who’s in charge in Smithers
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time city employee for every 242 residents
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll (a Census estimate). Residents: the Census population in the 2022 finance file (726).
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.
Fayette County School District
Smithers’ K–12 school district, shared with Ansted, Fayetteville, Gauley Bridge, Meadow Bridge, Mount Hope and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $15,159 per pupil, $8,086 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.
Smithers’ votes are counted by county
West Virginia reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Smithers alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Fayette County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican69.8%10,910 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat28.1%4,387 votesOthers: 2.1% (323 votes).
Most votes in Fayette County: Donald J Trump
West Virginia: Trump 70.0%, Harris 28.1%
100% of Smithers lies in Fayette County; the rest in Kanawha County. Every 2024 race in Fayette County is on the county’s page.
Fayette 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 Smithers.
- 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 Smithers compares with the towns next door
Smithers spent $314 per resident in 2022; the neighbor that reported 2022 spent $1,547. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Montgomery | $1,547 | $583 |
| Smithers | $314 | $436 |
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 Smithers’ government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about Smithers’ government
How much does Smithers spend per resident?
About $314 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2022, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $314 was less than 79% of 114 West Virginia cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Smithers?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $436 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.57% 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 Smithers’ government?
We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Smithers yet.
How did Smithers vote in 2024?
West Virginia counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Smithers alone. Fayette County, where 100% of Smithers lies, voted Trump 69.8%, Harris 28.1% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Smithers?
3 full-time and 21 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $37,240 (about $446,880 a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.
Who represents Smithers in the state legislature?
State Senate District 10 (Jack Woodrum and Vince Deeds) and House of Delegates District 50 (Bill Vest). The House of Delegates district also covers three neighboring towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Smithers’ 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 →