Photo: Aaron F. Stone · CC BY-SA 4.0Welch spent more per resident in 2022 than 96% of similar cities
Welch’s city government spent $3.9 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, about $1,136 per resident. Water and other utilities ($1.3 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Welch is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$2,129 per resident in 2022: more than 96% of them
Welch’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($2,129 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–$950. Welch spent more than 96% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($1.4 million), 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; Welch itself left out).
About $1,136 per resident a year, or $3.11 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 38%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is up 17% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Welch 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: $2,129 · 2023: $1,623 · 2024: $1,136. Per resident it went from $2,129 to $1,136 (down 47%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 1,575 to 3,446.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $430 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.75% 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 Welch’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.
Tax bills are one input to Welch’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Welch →
Who’s in charge in Welch
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Welch’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on local.wv.gov/welch ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 86 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 (3,446).
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.
McDowell County School District
Welch’s K–12 school district, shared with Anawalt, Bradshaw, Davy, Gary, Iaeger and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $16,215 per pupil, $7,671 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.
Welch’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 Welch alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are McDowell County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican79.4%4,310 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat19.1%1,036 votesOthers: 1.5% (79 votes).
Most votes in McDowell County: Donald J Trump
West Virginia: Trump 70.0%, Harris 28.1%
100% of Welch lies in McDowell County. Every 2024 race in McDowell County is on the county’s page.
McDowell 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 Welch.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: local.wv.gov/welch ↗
- 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 Welch’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Welch’s government
How much does Welch spend per resident?
About $1,136 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 $2,129 was more than 96% of 114 West Virginia cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Welch?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $430 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.75% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.53% across West Virginia. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see local.wv.gov/welch.
Who runs Welch’s government?
See local.wv.gov/welch for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Welch yet.
How did Welch vote in 2024?
West Virginia counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Welch alone. McDowell County, where 100% of Welch lies, voted Trump 79.4%, Harris 19.1% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Welch?
40 full-time and 18 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $128,403 (about $1.5M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Welch in the state legislature?
State Senate District 6 (Craig Hart and Mark Maynard) and House of Delegates District 36 (David Green). The House of Delegates district also covers nine other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Welch’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 →