Photo: Taber Andrew Bain from Richmond, VA, USA · CC BY 2.0Wellsburg spent more per resident in 2022 than 71% of similar cities
Wellsburg’s city government spent $2.3 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2022, about $926 per resident. That is its newest year reported to the Census Bureau. Water and other utilities ($898,000) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Wellsburg is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$926 per resident in 2022: more than 71% of them
Wellsburg’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($926 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. Wellsburg spent more than 71% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($401,000), 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; Wellsburg itself left out).
About $926 per resident a year, or $2.54 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: roads & transportation, at 35%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
No trend yet
Wellsburg reported only 2022 to the Census Bureau (2023, 2024 are estimates), so there is no trend yet.
full-time in March 2025, up from 19 in 2022.
The typical homeowner pays $556 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 Wellsburg’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 Wellsburg’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Wellsburg →
Who’s in charge in Wellsburg
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time city employee for every 92 residents
On the payroll in March 2025, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2022 finance file (2,497).
By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2025
The Census reports one month’s payroll (March); yearly figures are that month × 12, an estimate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.
Brooke County School District
Wellsburg’s K–12 school district, shared with Beech Bottom, Bethany, Follansbee, Windsor Heights, Weirton. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $19,298 per pupil, $10,596 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.
Wellsburg’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 Wellsburg alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Brooke County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican71.4%6,986 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat26.8%2,621 votesOthers: 1.8% (175 votes).
Most votes in Brooke County: Donald J Trump
West Virginia: Trump 70.0%, Harris 28.1%
100% of Wellsburg lies in Brooke County. Every 2024 race in Brooke County is on the county’s page.
Brooke 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 Wellsburg.
- 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 Wellsburg’s government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about Wellsburg’s government
How much does Wellsburg spend per resident?
About $926 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 $926 was more than 71% of 114 West Virginia cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Wellsburg?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $556 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 Wellsburg’s government?
We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Wellsburg yet.
How did Wellsburg vote in 2024?
West Virginia counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Wellsburg alone. Brooke County, where 100% of Wellsburg lies, voted Trump 71.4%, Harris 26.8% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Wellsburg?
27 full-time and 19 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $89,971 (about $1.1M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Wellsburg in the state legislature?
State Senate District 1 (Laura Chapman and Ryan Weld) and House of Delegates District 3 (Jimmy Willis). The House of Delegates district also covers seven other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Wellsburg’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 →