Photo: Vasiliymeshko · CC BY-SA 4.0Rawlins spent more per resident in 2022 than 80% of similar cities
Rawlins’ city government spent $12.4 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, about $1,516 per resident. Water and other utilities ($1.4 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Rawlins is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$1,632 per resident in 2022: more than 80% of them
Rawlins’ day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,632 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 15 Wyoming cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,297, and the middle half spent $1,141–$1,530. Rawlins spent more than 80% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($1.9 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 →
Wyoming cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Rawlins itself left out).
About $1,516 per resident a year, or $4.15 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 21%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is down 10% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Rawlins 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: $1,632 · 2023: $1,864 · 2024: $1,516.
full-time in March 2025, down from 106 in 2022.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $1,277 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.59% of the home’s value, vs 0.57% across Wyoming.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Rawlins’ 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 Rawlins’ Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Rawlins →
Who’s in charge in Rawlins
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Rawlins’ meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on rawlins-wyoming.com ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 85 residents
On the payroll in March 2025, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (8,197).
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.
Carbon County School District 1
Rawlins’ K–12 school district, shared with Baggs, Bairoil, Dixon, Sinclair. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $22,210 per pupil, $11,591 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.
Wyoming districts overall: 39% local, 45% state, 16% federal.
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Rawlins’ votes are counted by county
Wyoming reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Rawlins alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Carbon County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican77.5%4,952 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat19.9%1,274 votesOthers: 2.5% (161 votes).
Most votes in Carbon County: Donald J Trump
Wyoming: Trump 71.6%, Harris 25.8%
100% of Rawlins lies in Carbon County. Every 2024 race in Carbon County is on the county’s page.
Carbon 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 Rawlins.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: rawlins-wyoming.com ↗
- 2Wyoming HouseState representatives
- 3Wyoming SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Wyoming
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
Reach Rawlins’ government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Rawlins’ government
How much does Rawlins spend per resident?
About $1,516 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 $1,632 was more than 80% of 15 Wyoming cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Rawlins?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,277 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.59% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.57% across Wyoming. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see rawlins-wyoming.com.
Who runs Rawlins’ government?
See rawlins-wyoming.com for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Rawlins yet.
How did Rawlins vote in 2024?
Wyoming counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Rawlins alone. Carbon County, where 100% of Rawlins lies, voted Trump 77.5%, Harris 19.9% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Rawlins?
96 full-time and 20 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $510,404 (about $6.1M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Rawlins in the state legislature?
State Senate District 11 (Larry Hicks) and State House District 15 (Pam Thayer). The House district also covers two neighboring towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Rawlins’ 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 →