Photo: Generic1139 · CC BY-SA 3.0How is Tunnelton run?
Tunnelton’s town government spent $216,000 on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2022, about $727 per resident. Water and other utilities ($234,000) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Tunnelton is run
Read from the town’s budget and official records.
About $727 per resident a year, or $1.99 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 60%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$727 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Tunnelton’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($727 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 $645, and the middle half spent $334–$964. Tunnelton spent more than 57% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($130,000), 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; Tunnelton itself left out).
No trend yet
Tunnelton reported only 2022 to the Census Bureau, so there is no trend yet.
The typical homeowner pays $1,018 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Tunnelton’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 Tunnelton’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Tunnelton →
Who’s in charge in Tunnelton
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time town employee for every 99 residents
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2022 finance file (297).
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
Tunnelton’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.
Tunnelton’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 Tunnelton 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 Tunnelton 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 Tunnelton.
- 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 Tunnelton’s government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about Tunnelton’s government
How much does Tunnelton spend per resident?
About $727 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 $727 was more than 57% of 114 West Virginia cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
Who runs Tunnelton’s government?
We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Tunnelton yet.
How did Tunnelton vote in 2024?
West Virginia counts votes by county and precinct, not by town, so there are no official results for Tunnelton alone. Preston County, where 100% of Tunnelton lies, voted Trump 77.5%, Harris 20.5% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Tunnelton?
3 full-time and 8 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $15,098 (about $181,176 a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Tunnelton 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 Tunnelton’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 →