Photo: Generic1139 · CC BY-SA 3.0How is Terra Alta run?
Terra Alta’s town government spent $1.6 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, about $1,132 per resident. Water and other utilities ($389,000) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Terra Alta is run
Read from the town’s budget and official records.
About $1,132 per resident a year, or $3.10 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: administration & buildings, at 73%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
No comparison or trend for Terra Alta yet
The fair comparison uses 2022, the last year the Census Bureau counted every government (later years are a sample), and Terra Alta’s 2022 figures are a Census estimate (it reported none of its 2022 dollars). It reported 2024 only (2022 is an estimate), so there is no trend yet either. The next full count is 2027.
How Town Hall compares budgets →The typical homeowner pays $617 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.65% 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 Terra Alta’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 Terra Alta’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Terra Alta →
Who’s in charge in Terra Alta
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time town employee for every 109 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 2024 finance file (1,420).
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.
Preston County School District
Terra Alta’s K–12 school district, shared with Albright, Brandonville, Bruceton Mills, Kingwood, Masontown and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $13,769 per pupil, $7,642 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.
Terra Alta’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 Terra Alta alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Preston County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican77.5%11,176 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat20.5%2,953 votesOthers: 2.1% (297 votes).
Most votes in Preston County: Donald J Trump
West Virginia: Trump 70.0%, Harris 28.1%
100% of Terra Alta lies in Preston County. Every 2024 race in Preston County is on the county’s page.
Preston 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 Terra Alta.
- 1Your townTown governmentLocal 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 Terra Alta’s government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about Terra Alta’s government
How much does Terra Alta spend per resident?
About $1,132 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, as reported to the Census Bureau.
What is the property tax rate in Terra Alta?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $617 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.65% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.53% across West Virginia. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see the town’s assessor.
Who runs Terra Alta’s government?
We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Terra Alta yet.
How did Terra Alta vote in 2024?
West Virginia counts votes by county and precinct, not by town, so there are no official results for Terra Alta alone. Preston County, where 100% of Terra Alta lies, voted Trump 77.5%, Harris 20.5% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Terra Alta?
13 full-time and 19 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $42,071 (about $504,852 a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.
Who represents Terra Alta in the state legislature?
State Senate District 14 (Jay Taylor and Randy Smith) and House of Delegates District 84 (Buck Jennings). The House of Delegates district also covers five other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Terra Alta’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 →